Suzaku no Hikari
by Wanderlily
Summary: 50 years after the final summoning of Suzaku, a new miko appears. She needs to find her seven warriors and save the world before they let her go home. And what's this? Tasuki's children? Read on to find out!
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: I don't own Fushigi Yugi, even though I'm writing about the setting and basic…umm, ideas of that universe.

Like any sane person, I wish I did, but I don't…so sad… But! The characters I made up for this story do belong to me,

although frankly, I'm not all that sure anyone would want to take them anyway… You get my point!

                    *********And, On With The Show!*********

Chapter 1: Curiosity Killed the Cat

            "Ari!" 

A young woman stopped walking and turned around to see a middle-aged woman, her employer, catch up to her. She was smiling.

 "Be a dear and wheel this last cart back into the drop-off room? Please?" The older woman clasped her hands together in a pretense of begging.

            Ari looked at the watch on her wrist—noting that it was way past closing—and sighed. But she looked back up at the lady and nodded. "Sure thing." She pulled the book cart around a shelf and started toward the back room. 

            "Good girl." She heard the woman say as she walked away. Ari's face twisted into a grimace. Weak. She laughed silently at herself and shook her head.

      Unexpectedly, the library's old lights flickered off and she was left alone in the dark. She let out an audible squeak. "Hey!"

            Another of her coworkers poked his head around the corner, saw her, and apologized. "I completely forgot that you were still here. Sorry…" He looked around then leaned in closer. "…But you can finish up without the lights on right? It takes

forever to get them on again." He gave her a wink, turned on his heal, and left without waiting for an answer.

            Ari shivered in disgust and continued rolling the cart in the dark. _Scary. Why didn't I do something? Like, just say something along the lines of 'Actually, it would be a ton easier to find my way around with out crashing into anything with the lights ON! You creep._'   A part of her mind nagged at her. '_But really, what can I do about it? I'm_

_new…so they get to walk all over me. It's part of the job description.'_

            She pushed the empty book-cart to the side and pulled open the heavy doors to the back room. Leaning against the handle, she pulled the cart into the room behind her and let the door slam shut. Her head drooped down. I know it's tough…but just hang on, and one day it'll be better. Things will get better. One day I'll be the one scaring the newbies. Grinning evilly at the thought, she slipped the cart in between two others, and leaned against the cool metal, resting. Her hand reached up and impatiently brushed a lock of golden hair out of her sky colored eyes. She rested her head in her hands and let her eyes drift closed.

            She started. "Whoa! Time to go home. I've still got homework to do too. Can't fall asleep just yet." She spun around…

      …And smacked right into a handrail belonging to the staircase.

            "Ow." Ari let out a whimper and took a step back rubbing the spot on her forehead that had come into contact with the offending bar. Her eyes trailed the railing to the top of the metal stairs. A lonely looking door rested at the top. She glared at the door, wondering what was behind it. The silence of the library was deafening. 

      She slowly walked around to the base of the staircase, her hand on the cool rail and her eyes never leaving the door. 

            She put her foot on the first step…

And then snapped out of it. _What am I doing? Time to go home. Think_

_homework… think homework_. 

            Ari turned around, careful not to crash into any random pieces of architecture, grabbed her purse and walked out the back door into the cold night air. _Think homework, think homework._

            Two seconds later she slammed back through the doors. _Who do I think I'm kidding? I've got to know what's up there!_

            She slowly walked up the metal staircase, looking around to make sure there was no one around to get her into any trouble. No one had mentioned that the stairs were off limits…but there was a certain feeling about them…a sense of "don't ask—don't get fired".

            Ari reached the top. The door loomed up in front of her. Her hand reached out and made contact with the handle. When nothing dramatic happened, she released the breath she didn't know she'd been holding. She opened the door. Not a sound came from the old hinges. She looked into the dark.

            Her hand reached around the corner, searching for a light. Her fingers brushed the switch and the ancient lights flickered on, slowly lighting the room one section at a time. The lights revealed rows of old wooden shelves lined with books. Ari stepped onto the carpet that had no right to be called a certain color. (You know the kind.) _That's it? What's so great about more books?_ Slightly disappointed, she wandered between the shadowed rows looking for something, anything that would show all the suspense hadn't been a complete waste of time. She looked around corners and behind shelves looking for treasure chests or hidden doors. Nothing. It was just a plain storage room.

            _But that in itself is strange. They throw away all the books that aren't wanted._ She snorted. _I'd know…I take them out to the dumpster…why would they keep all these?_

            She walked down an aisle, trailing her fingers along the shelves. _Strange, there's no dust…_Pulling a book off the shelf, she flipped through the yellowed pages. It was just an old medicine book with a few side-notes penned in on the margins. She turned the book sideways and shook it a little to see if any stray FBI files or random hundred dollar bills fell out.

Nothing. Not a damn thing.

            Ari sighed with frustration and slammed the book shut. As she place it back on the shelf the floor jumped. Her feet flew out from underneath her and she hit the carpet, hard.

The ground continued to roll and buck as books flew off the shelves and bombarded the girl on the floor. She covered her head with her arms and prayed that the bookcases didn't fall on her. The earthquake ended as rapidly as it began and the bookcases were still upright. Trying to remember how to breathe, Ari peeked out from between her arms at the chaos around her. Her eyes went wide at the mess. _Not good._

            The shelves around her were completely empty; almost all the books had fallen to the floor. She stood up shakily and with a sigh, grabbed an armful of books planning to place them back on the shelves. But her sleeve snagged on the binding of an old volume. She tried to grab at it unsuccessfully as it dangled from her arm. She moaned and put the armful on the floor and snatched the book. It tore her sleeve as she ripped it free. _Nope. Just not a good day_.

            She looked at the book wondering what had caught hold of her shirt. She turned it over but couldn't find anything that could catch onto random sleeves. Confused, she flipped it open, only to find the book written in Chinese. There seemed to be some kind of translation in the margin of the prologue though. Stumbling through the bad handwriting, Ari read it aloud.

            "…Herein…contains the tale of a young lady and her quest to gather…the seven

         Constellations of Suzaku together. And if you, the esteemed reader, should read to the story's end, the spell…contained within this book shall bestow upon you the powers of the heroine, and grant you your wish. For indeed the moment…the page is turned, the story will become reality…"

            _Well now…that's different._

And of course, being the curious critter that she is… Ari turned the page. Bright light bloomed from the pages, turning the room around her red. The library lights flickered once, twice, then went out, leaving the room lit only by the light of the book. Ari stared down at it in shock, unable to look away. Her eyes widened and she couldn't tear them away. The light got brighter and brighter, until she could see nothing but red. She covered her face with an arm, flinching away from the book.

      The light went out like a snuffed candle, and the book fell the floor in the suddenly empty storage room. Slowly, the library lights flickered back on to light the book-covered, non-color carpet. 

      A single red feather floated softly to the ground.

      *********************************************************

      Hi! Thanks eversomuch for reading this little story. Actually it's not all that little, I've already written five chapters… if anybody actually reads this…please review and tell me 1. that you are, in fact, reading it. And 2. what I can do to make it better, Because I do want to make it better. 

      This story has the potential to be very long, alright, not veeeeerrrrrrry long, but a good size. New characters will soon be introduced, so keep a look out for that. Ummmmm, what else?

       I really had fun writing this story. Usually I see these "new miko" stories that just substitute the original characters (or character for that matter) and stick to the exact same plot line as the anime of Fushigi Yugi. I kinda find those rather dull, no offense to any authors out there. My point is that I am not doing this fic the same way. This is a different story, set in the same universe and Fushigi Yugi, with different characters and different circumstances. There will be "tie-ins" to the original, but you'll just have to keep reading to find out! 

      Again, Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!

                        ***wanderlily***


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two:

            Ari opened her eyes to the sunlight filtering through the bright green leaves of the forest canopy above. The shadows played across her face as she squinted her eyes, trying to focus on the dance of light above her. She lay with her back resting in the old leaves and dirt, but paid no mind to the filth. She watched the sunlight drifting through the darkness; rays of light broke the spell of dreariness created by the ancient trees.

            Slowly she registered the pain; realizing that her head hurt. She tried to sit up but her aches caused her to lie back down. Her thoughts slowly filtered into her foggy mind just as the sunbeams filtered into the forest darkness. "What the hell happened?" she moaned. Turning her head side-to-side, she tried to note her surroundings with a minimal amount of pain. "Where am I?"

            Suddenly she sat up with a shout. "The book!" And fell backwards again as the darkness took her.  

********************************************************

Hours later she awoke to something nuzzling her face. She opened her eyes to meet the big brown ones of an animal. She let out a yelp and scooted away as fast as she could. 

The doe looked at her with accusing eyes before turning and melting back into the trees. Ari sat on the forest floor, her hand over her chest trying to calm her marathon heartbeat. "J-just a deer. Wow, that scared me." She leaned back on her hand and took a look around her. She picked at a few leaves that were scattered around her. _Well, obviously I'm in a forest. Pretty deep in a forest too. You don't see deer anywhere near civilization anymore._

She put her hand to her head. _Ow. Bumped my head on something._ Thinking back, she tried hard to remember how she had ended up in a forest in the middle of the day. _Last thing I remember is being at work…up in that storage room…and that earthquake…and THAT BOOK!_ She remembered the red light that made her black out and the feeling of falling and then… and then…that was where her memories failed her. _What is going on? Why can't I remember?_

Thoroughly frustrated, she put her pounding head in her hands, staring at the ground. _I'm in big trouble here. I'm lost. I have no idea how I got here. And I'm injured. _Looking at the facts didn't make her feel any better about them. Ari slowly got to her feet, careful of her head. She put her hand against a nearby tree and took a few deep breaths. This helped her head, but the clearness also brought a sense of panic.

_Oh God. I'm lost. I don't know where I am…or how I got here. _Her breathing became labored and her eyes started to tear up. _What do I do? What do I do?_ She let go of the tree trunk and stumbled forward. She grabbed hold of another tree and tried to calm down. But her body wouldn't have it. It continued to panic. Her mind told her to think rationally…but her body told her to run. So she ran.

Stumbling blindly through the trees, she ran. As long as she kept moving, her mind and her fears couldn't catch up with her. The darkness of the forest was haunting; the ghostly sun beams the only light. Ari continued to run. The reaching arms of the trees caught hold of her from time to time, but she jerked free, tearing her clothing.

She ran until her body couldn't take another step. She collapsed to her knees in a small clearing. Her tears caught up to her. She rested in the small oasis of sunlight, her face in the palms of her hands, gasping for air, tears streaming down her face.

*****************************************************

Ari lay quietly in the grass of the clearing, her hands behind her head, once again watching the dance of light and shadow in the treetops. Her eyes still burned from the tears, but at the moment she had run out of the energy it took to cry. She just lay there, breathing, letting the panic slowly drain from her system.

A bird's shadow flew overhead. _Lucky devil, at least he knows where he's going... I should find a way out of this forest. Then maybe I can find my way into civilization._ She got to her feet with a renewed sense of hope. The panic was still there, hidden under the relief created by the sunlight, but it was there.

She picked a direction and stepped back into the trees. She regretted having to leave her patch of hope behind, but it was getting late, and she wanted to find shelter before the real threats came out to play. She walked through the trees, not recognizing any of them. _These trees are way different from the types at home._ Depressed by this reminder that she was far from the familiar, she turned her attention to her feet, watching her steps through the debris. 

Walking through the brush, she listened to birds calling to one another. The sunlight caught the dust particles in the air. The forest was silent aside from the rustling of the trees, and the sound of the birds. Ari started humming to herself out of sheer loneliness.

Suddenly, something shot out of the darkness to her right and hit the tree in front of her. She froze in place, her breath caught in her throat as she looked at the arrow that was embedded so deeply in the bark. She stumbled back a step as shadows separated from the surrounding trees.

 Five menacing figures surrounded her; one had another arrow drawn and ready to fire at a single misstep. Ari looked around wildly, searching for an escape. A man stepped forward. He was head and shoulders taller than her, and twice as wide. In his hand was a wickedly curved dagger; he held the point up, just under her chin. "I wouldn't try anything if I were you." 

She got up her nerve to retort. "Yeah, well I bet that if you were me, you wouldn't have ended up in a mess like this in the first place." She stopped as he dug the blade into the sensitive skin at her throat.

"Ye're probably right about that one." He grinned evilly and grabbed her arms, pulling them up behind her back. Ari cried out in pain and anger and tried to wrench her arms free of his grasp. But she couldn't get away. 

The rouge just laughed and held her away from him as she tried to fight back. "Fiery isn't she, boys?" The other four bandits just muttered agreements. But one called out a question. "You sure she's a girl? Look at the clothes, and the hair. Looks like a boy to me." The others, again, muttered agreements. 

Ari lifted her head in rage. "Why, you-!" 

The leader—pulling her close so that it was impossible to ignore her curves—replied, "Yup, definitely a girl." He sneered and threw her to the disbelieving bandit. "See for yourself."

He caught her and smiled back at the leader. "Oh, I don't know. I think I need a little more convincing." Ari let out a gasp of indignity, twisting and turning, trying to get away.

The bandit leader laughed outright at that. "I'll let her convince you later. We still have a ways to go before we can set up camp." He melted into the forest and came back seconds later with a few pack-laden horses. Picking up miscellaneous sacks and weapons, they started walking. The bandit that had a hold of Ari pulled a length of rope out of his pack, and bound her hands behind her back with some difficulty, finally threatening her with his knife to get her to cooperate. With her hands tied the bandit tossed her to another man, saying, "Here Rui, you take the wench."

"I'm not your wench!" Ari was on the verge of tears, but her anger held them back.

The new bandit didn't catch her, but let her fall to the ground. Without a word he nodded stiffly as the men started walking. Rui looked down at the girl when the others were out of sight. He sighed and picked her up by her shoulders and set her on her feet. Ari wrenched away from his grasp. "Don't touch me!"

He backed away from her with his hands up, dark eyebrows raised. "Fine. But I suggest you walk, otherwise you'll end up hogtied across the back of one of those horses. Believe me I've seen them do it before. Not a pleasant experience, you can be sure." His voice was soft and deep, and didn't hold the same crudeness of the others.   

Ari looked up at him as she started walking. Roughly cut hair fell into dark eyes. In the gloom of the forest the shafts of sunlight made his hair blaze red from time to time and reflected off his turquoise earrings. "How would you know what it's like to be kidnapped?" she asked skeptically.

He avoided the question and said, "What are you doing out here alone in the woods? That's like begging bandits to abduct you."

It was her turn to side step the question. "Trust me, I'm not begging anyone to abduct me."      

They walked in silence for a while, until her curiosity got the better of her. "W-" Her voice broke. She tried again, stronger this time. "What's going to happen to me?" She asked without looking at him.

Rui didn't say anything for a minute, then lengthened his stride and said gruffly, "You don't wanna know."

*************************************

At dusk the travelers stopped to set up camp. The bandits gathered around a small, smokeless fire in the center of a clearing. Food was cooked and drink was passed around.

Ari sat with her back against a tree as far from the group as she could get, hoping that they would all simply forget about her. Her feet where bound as well as her hands. There was no chance of sneaking away. Yet.

Wallowing in the hopelessness of her situation, she watched the bandits get drunk. Her plan was to cut her bonds after they all fell asleep and run. But the problem was, she didn't know if she'd be in any shape to move by then. She wasn't even sure if she'd be alive. Morbid thoughts kept her so occupied she didn't know she had company in her lonely corner of the clearing until he sat down next to her. Her startled eyes fell on the dark red hair of the quiet bandit from before. She inched as far away from him as she could get. Not even trying to keep the scorn from her voice, she asked him, "What? Come to have your way with me before the others remember I exist?"

He choked on a laugh. "You sure know how to sweet talk a guy." He watched the shadows dance across the clearing, the firelight reflected in his eyes. Ari glared at him in the dark. "Well, excuse me for not being in the mood." 

He continued to watch the fire. "I'll tell you what I am in the mood for…" She scooted even farther away from him. "…A story."

Ari stopped and stared at him, not quiet sure she'd heard him correctly. "Excuse me?"

He turned to look at her. "Your's. Why were you in the forest all alone? Why is your hair cut short and you're dressed like a man, when you are so obviously not? What is your story?" His eyes were hidden in shadow so Ari couldn't see his expression. But he sounded sincere. Then she started thinking._ My story? Ha! I don't even believe it. Why would he?_ "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

He grinned lopsidedly. "Try me."

**************************************

So Ari told him her story, starting with her discovery of the storage room at the library. He listened as she described the earthquake and the mysterious book that had caught her attention. She even showed him the tear on her sleeve from the book. She had trouble finding it because there where so many others in her shirt and pants from running through the woods, but it was still there. 

She remembered the incantation in the book's prologue and told him of the light that had taken her from the library and had transplanted her into the world of the book.

"And I woke up, lost in the middle of a forest, all alone, with a one hell of a bump on my head." She kept her eyes down, afraid to look at the bandit, afraid of the disbelief she was sure was in his eyes. _He's gonna start laughing any second now. Man! I hate being laughed at._

But he didn't laugh. All he said was, "That would explain the strange clothing."

Ari looked up at him, completely confused. "You believe me?"

"Sure. You're obviously not from around here. Why not from a whole 'nother world? I'm not saying that it happens often…but it has happened before."

She turned to him completely. "You're kidding me! What happened to the others? How did they get back home? Did they ever get back home? Oh no! Don't tell me I'm stuck here forever!" She let out a cry and buried her head in her hands.

"Oh, no. Most of them have gotten back to there own worlds well enough." She looked up to see his eyes staring blankly ahead, completely devoid of emotion.

"How?"

"We have a legend in this world. Many legends in fact, but they all revolve around the same basic idea. A young woman from another world comes, becomes what they call a miko—a kind of priestess, if you will— and gathers her seven celestial warriors, thus gaining the power of whatever god she is a miko of. With that power, the priestess can make her wishes come true. Usually the case is that she wishes for the country she protects to be peaceful and prosperous and for her to go home again."

"Sounds complicated," _and vaguely familiar._ She thought back to the incantation in the book's prologue.

"Very. The miko must endure many hardships in order to summon the beast god. So she can save her country, the warriors protect her as best they…" He faltered. "…As best they can." He stopped talking, his eyes strangely dark. 

"What—" she was cut off as someone roughly grabbed her collar, pulling her into the firelight. 

"Look who we forgot boys!" 

_Oh no, please no._

            "And Rui thought he could keep her all to himself. Let me remind you boy! In this band, we share and share alike!" The leader pulled Ari to her feet, she could smell the alcohol radiating off him. He leaned in to kiss her, but she turned her head to the side. His lips brushed her cheek, sending shivers down Ari's spine. She looked back over to where Rui was sitting; her eyes pleading for him to help her. He just stared at the ground, refusing to meet her eyes.

            She watched him, unable to believe that the young man that was so kind to her a moment before now seemed completely oblivious. She struggled against the arms of the bandit leader. He slapped her across the face and dragged her over to one of the few tents set up. She twisted and turned franticly in his grasp. "Let me _go_! Please! _Help me!_" She called out to the others, but her plea was met with nothing but drunken eyes and the back of another who sat alone in the dark.

            The bandit tossed her into the tent, her bound hands and feet kept her from catching herself, and she hit the packed dirt with a painful thud. The shadow advanced on her and she squirmed away as best she could. Her mind was racing along with her heart. Her eyes searched the tent for something to protect herself with. And…there! In the corner of the tent glinting in the lantern-light, was the curved dagger he had threatened her with earlier. She wiggled her way over to the corner, her bound hands reaching…reaching…so close. But the bandit was closer. He collapsed on top of her with such force that her head hit the ground, and she once more gave into the darkness.   

  _ ***********************************************_


	3. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: You all know the drill.

Authors note: just a warning, this is basically chapter two again, only seen through the eyes of Rui, instead of Ari. It kinda tells you what's going on inside this guy's head during the whole situation. And believe me, it's pretty important stuff, creates a little bit of…what do they call it? Dramatic irony, I believe. Well sorry about not picking up from the cliffhanger in chapter two, but this is almost as good! Enjoy!

**********************************************

Ch 3

Rui's Perspective:

                So. They caught a woman; something to make their insignificant lives somewhat meaningful. The poor thing.

 I watched as they toyed with her, tossed her from bandit to bandit hoping to scare her into meekness. They weren't getting very far. She was not one to tremble at the sight of a knife. In fact she seemed angry, very angry.

They got bored with her relatively fast. And we needed to keep moving. The ransacked village we left behind was no threat; that is until the men-folk return to find the bones of their families surrounded by the ashes of their homes and come in search of vengeance. 

The whole situation made me sick.

So. They threw the woman—not much more than a girl really—at me. I was to play the nursemaid, or the jail keeper. Either way, I was stuck with another burden. 

"Here Rui, you take the wench." 

I hate them so much I don't even answer, just stare at the girl who is on the ground. She's dressed in men's clothing, but that's all I notice in the shadows of the forest. Her hands are bound in front of her and she's scowling like a dirty look alone could save her. The others laugh. 

I pick her up by her shoulders and set her on her feet. She flinches away from me as if I had a plague.  I can't really blame her, even when she hisses, "Don't touch me!" I let her go and back away. She's much more scared than she's letting on. I could feel it in her shoulders. Yes. She is very scared.

"Fine. But I suggest you walk, otherwise you'll end up hogtied across the back of one of those horses. Believe me I've seen them do it before. Not a pleasant experience, you can be sure."

 I shouldn't have spoken to her. It's best not to think of her as a human. She'll fulfill her purpose and then they'll throw her away. It's no good to become attached to tomorrow's trash.

"How would you know what it's like to be kidnapped?" 

I didn't like the way that conversation was headed so I didn't answer. I shouldn't have said anything to her. She'll be gone in a day or two. Best to not think of her as human. 

But she looked …so… utterly lost. I couldn't leave her to face this completely alone. 

 So I asked her how she ended up in the middle of the forest…and all alone at that. Most villages don't let their woman outside the main gates. Maybe she was a runaway. That would explain the disguise.  

I watched her as we walked through the forest shadows, a little apart from the rest of the bandits. Her strangely short hair gleamed golden in the sunlight. Her eyes were also a light color, blue or gray. I couldn't really tell. Her long legs easily kept up with the pace of the bandit leader. 

Her clothing, or what was left of it, was alien to me, made of materials I had never seen before. She wore pants made of a light, tightly woven material and her shirt was a dark green that contrasted with her hair. 

 She never really answered my question and instead asked another of her own.

"W-what's going to happen to me?"

I remembered again not to get attached to this temporary amusement of theirs and walked away.

"You don't wanna know."      

***************************************************************

                The forest was dark hours before sunset, but we didn't stop until twilight. I lost track of the girl while we unburdened the horses. She wouldn't get far with her hands tied. And besides, I didn't think she had a clue where she was headed. Just away, I guessed. Sounded hauntingly familiar.

                I made a small, smokeless fire in the center of the clearing. I wasn't lucky enough to make the food though. No. I'd be lucky if they let me eat the table scraps. I pulled out the corked pitchers of alcohol, ready to haul them over to the fireside. I paused…

                …And walked around to the other side of the horse, so the others couldn't see that I added a little potency to the flasks. 

                There. I had done what I could. For the girl and myself. Only luck could help us now.

                At the thought of the strange captive, my eyes swept about the clearing, looking for her. She had found her way over to a corner of the clearing, away from the bandits. She leaned her back against the trunk of a tree, clearly exhausted. Her feet had ended up tied as well. The bandits did not want this one to get away; that was for damn sure.

                I set up the leader's tent. It was pointlessly large. It's not like anyone other than him slept in there…except when they caught a girl…like tonight. 

I shook my head. There was nothing more I could do. I needed to stop thinking about her predicament and start worrying about my own.

The bandits had broken into the flasks of alcohol with real gusto. Good for them. The drunker they were, the easier it was for me to get away. I looked back at the girl. She was glaring daggers at the group. I laughed mentally and stood up. In her corner of the clearing it was certainly quieter, but also colder so far from the fire. I sat down next to her before she realized she wasn't alone, obviously lost in her thoughts. I couldn't blame her. I wouldn't mind being able to lose myself in my thoughts once in a while. But a distracted mind is a dead one.

She started when she saw my shadow, created by the glow of the fire. She squirmed away as I sat down on the packed earth. 

"What? Come to have your way with me before the others remember I exist?"

I laughed at the ridiculousness of the fear-induced statement. She obviously didn't understand my position with this bunch. So I decided to play along.

"You sure know how to sweet talk a guy." I kept my eyes pointed in the direction of the firelight, hopefully sending her a message that I wasn't interested in that kind of entertainment. I could feel her eyes on me, but I refused to meet her gaze. So much for thinking of her as just a toy for the thugs. She was very real.

"Well excuse me for not being in the mood." Her retort was delayed and halfhearted. Her eyes continued to watch me. I gave her time, and a sudden thought hit me.

"I'll tell you what I am in the mood for…" Ahh, now she was scared again. She was as skittish as a rabbit, so I softened my voice. "…A story." I finished. She stared at me, completely lost. 

"Excuse me?" 

I turned away from the hypnotizing dance of the firelight and looked at her. "Yours. Why were you in the forest all alone? Why is your hair cut short and you're dressed like a man, when you are so obviously not? What is your story?"

I watched her gray eyes as she started to understand what I was asking for. Her expression soon changed from one of confusion to one of doubt.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." 

I grinned at that, proudly showing off my rather sharp canines, and said, "Try me."

********************************************************

So she told me her story. And what a story it was. I had a hunch from the beginning, I guess. But I wasn't certain. The clothing was a clue of course…but the give-away was the attitude. Konan hasn't seen such a mind-set in a woman since…

In other words, I wasn't all that surprised when she told me that she came from another world. The part about the book caught me off guard, though it had been mentioned in the stories. And I have heard all the stories. Many times over.   
                She even spent the time searching for the tear in her shirt she'd gotten from the book when she had entered this world. She didn't need to show me proof though. I believed her. It was impossible not to. She clearly didn't belong here. Yes. I had quite a mess on my hands. I had found the potential Suzaku no miko, yet I couldn't do anything about it. Not yet, at least. I'd have to be careful if I wanted to stay out of the whole mess. Very careful.

She finished her tale and looked down at her bound feet. So I said what came first to mind. "That would explain the strange clothing."

"You believe me?" She stared at me in complete disbelief.

So that was when I told her the myth-that-wasn't-a-myth. The whole story of the young woman of legend. I had listened to my mother tell it over and over, never tiring of the tale. It was her favorite, and for a very good reason. And so, of course, I had it committed to memory. It was one of the only things I had to remember my mother by. She loved that story as much as she loved my father…if not more so. Perhaps she loved my father because of the legend. That made more sense than I cared to admit, so I ended that train of thought. And cut the story a little short.

"What—" she started before the shadow hand pulled her into the firelight. I had been lost in my memories and had not even seen the bandit leader lurking in the shadows. I watched him drag her into his tent. I watched…I had done what I could…now it was all up to Suzaku, and maybe a little bit of luck. If we survived this night I'd personally bring her to the emperor. However; despite all I promised, the guilt sat heavily on my conscience as I watched the night descend.

**************************************************************

Author's Note:  Well? How was that? I know that it wasn't very nice about the whole cliffhanger thing, but an author-ess has gotta do what she's gotta do. And I had to create some kind of a reader-character connection with Rui. Can anyone guess what's up with him? Very angsty past let me tell you, next chapter, I promise! 

And now for some thank you's! I promised that I'd thank people for reviewing, so here it is!

Thank you Syane! For being my first reviewer, I'm glad you like Ari. I always thought the Suzaku no Miko should be someone very passionate, and that counts for a short temper as well. More on that later. Ari is a very emotional girl, that's just who she is, you know? About Rui having a touch of Tasuki in him…oh just you wait, just you wait! Bwahahaha!

Thank you Pseudomask! Thanks for the complement! I'm glad someone likes the way I write. Stupid English teachers don't seem all that impressed for some odd reason…go figure. Again, Ari is a very emotional girl, that's why I had her react the way she did at the beginning of the second chapter. She'll get better though. Hopefully, no more being so…girly. OK, I take that back. She is whoever she'll turn out to be. As for Rui…geez, this guy's got some serious emotional baggage, as you'll soon see. Poor guy…

Also thanks for reviewing my other fic. I'm glad you found it funny.

And to TA Maxwell, who didn't actually review this fic, but my other one and I thought I'd mention you here too! Thank you very much! 

I seriously am sooooo happy when I get reviews. When the first one got through…I have never seen myself so happy-peppy! Thank you all again!

The scary thing is that I only have two reviews for this fic, but I'm still on cloud nine!

Next chapter on it's way soon! 


	4. Chapter Four

AN: HEY! I'm back! Sorry it took so long, I was on vacation, and it's kinda hard to get anything typed when you lack a computer…duh. But I did get some ideas down for future reference, so no worries. I've had a bad case of "I don't like how this story is going…" It just doesn't seem right. I dunno, what can I do to make it better? Im a perfectionist at heart, so don't go and flame me, but a few helpful pointers would be great. Thanks for reading so far, and I'll pick up from the cliffhanger-that-wasn't from like two chapters ago…

Chapter 4

Rui's POV

            Around midnight, a little after the bandit leader had dragged the girl off into his tent, the other bandits started dropping like flies. 

            One by one, they fell to the hard-packed ground, flasks of alcohol breaking. It was about time the drug took affect. I was beginning to worry that they had some kind of freakish immunity to the stuff. It would make some sense though…I mean they _were_ bandits.

            But it worked. They all passed out. At least I think they weren't dead. With this bunch you could never be sure of anything. So I waited another five minutes to see if they were out for the long haul. Not a twitch.

            I stood up from the shadows and walked over to the supplies. I stuffed as much food and other necessities as I could into a sack. I tied the sack onto the horse that I had waiting for me. Everything was ready. Finally after years of being their dog, I was getting away. There was only one little problem. I had to save the girl too. 

She was, after all, my miko. 

            I brought the horse around to the tent, careful not to wake the bandits. The lantern had burned low; the flickering light created haunting shadows on the stretched canvas. Pulling out the two daggers I, quite literally, kept hidden up my sleeve, I crept into the tent. 

            At first I could only make out one shape on the ground. I was guessing the leader had also passed out from the drink and that the shape was him. But where was the girl? 

            "Hey, girl!" I hissed into the silence, looking around for her. I really didn't have time for this. Then something caught my eye, an extra pair of arms sticking out from beneath the bandit. 

_Shit! I'm too late _I thought_. _I ran over to the girl who was partially covered by the leader's bulk…but no. She was still fully clothed; he hadn't gotten to her. He must have passed out just in time. I took hold of the man's shoulder and dragged him off of her. He was so far gone that he only muttered something under his breath and went back to his drunken stupor.

            I looked down at the girl. It looked like she had fainted. That was not going to be much help. I picked her up, careful of her head. We had to get out of there, now. I didn't even dare to think about what would happen when _they _woke up.

            I walked out of the tent and pushed her up onto the horse. Her hands and feet were still bound, I didn't have time to fix that right then, so she ended up sitting sidesaddle. I swung up behind her and kicked the horse forward.

Freedom. 

****************************************************

Ari's POV 

Ari kept her eyes closed as her mind slowly woke up. _So warm…_She snuggled closer to the source of heat. She realized that she was wrapped up in a blanket and that she was somehow moving…_Hold it!_

Her eyes snapped open and she looked up into the blushing face of the red-haired bandit from earlier. He pulled away from her slightly and she realized three things: it was daylight, she was on a horse and much to her embarrassment, had been sleeping in the arms of her kidnapper. 

She sat up stiffly, trying to put as much room between her and her new captor. 

He looked down at her. "Quite moving around so much. You'll spook the horse."

She turned around to face him. "What's going on?"

"We got away."

"I can see that. But how? And why? And…_could you PLEASE_, _just tell me what the hell is going on!?"_

The mare underneath them sidestepped nervously, so he walked her over to the side of the road and said, "Maybe it's time for a rest." He swung over the side leaving Ari glaring down at him from up on the horse. He led the mare through the soft grass on the side of the road. They had left the forest about an hour before sunrise, and by the look of it, it was almost noon. 

Ari took in her new setting as she kept her precarious balance on the horse. Her feet and hands were still bound. This sent a jolt of fear down her spine. If he was saving her, then why was she still strung up? 

They reached a tree far from the road and stopped. He pulled the packs down and proceeded to set up camp. He stooped and pulled a knife out of one of the packs and turned to her. Ari tensed up, ready to kick out at him with her bound feet.  He noticed this and froze a few feet away.

"Listen. I'm not gonna hurt ya. Okay? I'm just going to cut you free. Is that okay? Can I do that without you kicking my head in?"

She stared angrily at him and said, "How am I supposed to trust you?"  

Annoyed, he crossed his arms across his chest, the knife glinting in the sunlight. "I thought I told you. You are from this other world right? So that means that you are the Suzaku no Miko, remember? And the purpose of the Suzaku no miko is to save this country, _my_ country, from total destruction. _Therefore,_ it is in _my_ best interest to keep you alive and well. _Okay? _Now, let me cut you free!" 

Ari held still as the knife cut through the ropes. Once free she tried to slide down the horse but her feet were still weak from the bonds and refused to hold her. She stumbled and would have fallen if he hadn't caught her. He helped her over to the tree and sat her down in the shade. Blushing, she rubbed her angles and wrists, trying to get the blood flowing again.

He turned back to the packs and started pulling out food. 

Ari looked at him. "Who _are_ you? Why did you save me? How did you save me?" The bandit let out an audible sigh and tied the sacks shut with a jerk. He turned to her and gave her a chunk of bread. He sat down facing her and said, "Full of questions, aren't you?"

"Wouldn't you be? I mean come on! I've been transported to a different world, kidnapped by bandits, almost raped, and now I'm here with you. What else am I supposed to be besides curious, if not extremely pissed?"

 His eyes narrowed. "I am sorry about back there. I would have saved you sooner, but I had to wait for them to fall asleep. There wasn't anything I could do." He seemed upset about the whole thing. Ari leaded over, trying to get a look at his face. 

Gently this time, she asked, "So what happened?"

He sat up and stared out into the field. "Well, when I was unloading the horses for the night, I slipped a little something extra I had gotten from the last village we…visited…into their drink. They all passed out. I stole the horse, the supplies, and you. It looked like the leader had fallen asleep atop you, so I pulled him off and we left. We've been riding for hours since then. You slept through the whole thing…My name is Akariu, by the way. Just call me Rui."

Ari remembered the bandits calling him by that name and nodded. "I'm Ari. Thank you for saving me. I know I haven't been…very nice…" She mentally cringed at the understatement. "…But I am grateful."

He leaned against the tree and put his arms behind his head. "Don't worry about it. It must be tough…I understand."

"So now what do we do?"

"_We_ are going to take a nap, and then leave for the capital at sundown. It's too hot to travel at midday. Better to wait until nightfall. Besides…you stick out like a sore thumb in this place. Hold on," He stood up and pulled a shirt and leggings out of the pack. "Your clothes look like they're beyond saving, not to mention out of place.  Put these on." She looked down at what was left of her torn shirt and khakis. A flush crept over her cheeks. 

"Go over there and change. Don't worry, I won't peek." He laughed as she blushed even more. "Just give a yell if there's trouble." He turned around, and seemingly, went to sleep.

Ari walked over to the bushes he had mentioned and pulled the rural fabrics on.  The trousers almost fit, after she had rolled the hems up, but she practically swam in the shirt.  Even with the sleeves rolled up, it was too big. She sighed and adjusted the cloth again. This was not going to be very comfortable. 

            She walked back into the shade of the tree and looked down at Rui. Nudging him with her toe, "Hey. I'm decent." He cracked one eye open and squinted up at her. Sitting up he looked at her for a while then said, "You still look like a girl." 

"I am a girl." She replied indifferently. 

"Yeah, but that's gonna change." He pulled a string from out of the pack along with a deep red sash. He hesitated before giving the red silk to her. "Tie your hair back with this," he said pointing to the string. "And bind your chest with this," he said holding the sash out to her, distinctly not looking at anything.

            She nodded, went back to her changing spot, and did as she was told. Walking back to the shade she sat down to wait for the sun to go down.    

Shifting the sash under her shirt, she thought, _This is definitely not going to be comfortable. _Ari pulled her knees up to her chest and looked at Rui. Her captor/savior had his eyes closed and seemed to be asleep. She couldn't blame him. _He probably didn't sleep at all last night. He had to pay attention to where we were going._

In the afternoon sunlight of the glade, Ari let her mind wander. _Suzaku no miko, hmm? Well if that's the way to get me home…Home…I wonder if people have noticed I'm gone. _She blinked back tears. _No more crying. It's not helping you any._ She sniffed and leaned her head back to look at the sky. _So I guess I have to follow this Rui person to the emperor…and then I have to find seven warriors? Was that what he'd said the other night? I can't remember…my head still hurts._ She put her hand to the back of her head and felt the bump. _Ouch. _

Ari turned her head to look at the sleeping man._ He's pretty young. I wonder what _his _story is. Doesn't look like the type to open up to a complete stranger though. I guess I'm stuck with him. It's not like I have anywhere else to go. And he seems nice enough…_ Her eyes traced the strong outline of his face. His dark red hair clashed with the green of the grass behind his head. _Nice enough is an understatement._ Ari looked away when she realized that she was staring.

Good grief. Don't go falling in love with this guy. You don't even know him. He could be a homicidal maniac or something; you know all the cute ones are crazy. 

_But he's been so nice to me…_Another part of her mind argued with her. She sighed in frustration. _He's been nice to me because I'm supposed to save his country. Wake up Ari. Think of where you are. You're in the middle of nowhere…literally…and you basically have a world to save. Don't bother with this guy. You've got more important things to worry about._

Leaning back into the cool grass, her eyes drifted closed. _…More important things to worry about…_and she fell asleep in the warm midday sun.

*****************************************************

Ari woke up, startled by the scream of the horse. She looked around in the fading light and saw the trouble they were in. Rui was crouching next to her, both knives ready to fight their attackers. The shadowed forms had them surrounded. The bandits had caught up with them.

"'Bout time you woke up." Rui hissed down at her.  

Her eyes darted around looking for an escape. "No shit."

The leader stepped forward into the remaining light. "Thought you could just take off with our horse and our woman, did you, runt?" He snarled at Rui.

Ari growled at being put on the same level of value as the horse and stood up. "Give me a knife." She held her hand out to Rui. He looked at her as if she had lost her mind. 

"You can't fight." 

"Just give me a damn knife!"

He slid the cool steel of a hilt into her hand and turned back to the bandits. "Fine, but the leader's mine." With that he lunged at the bandit. He jumped up and sliced at his chest with almost superhuman speed. Ari gawked at the fight but then her eyes fell back on her own troubles. It was time to see whether or not she really could take care of herself.

There was one bandit in front of her, grinning. She recognized him as the one who had taunted her the most before. And now his buddies stood back to watch her lose to this one moron. _Their mistake, _she thought as she stepped in. 

The bandit took a few lazy swings at her; he was toying with her. Insulted, she lunged in and swiped him across the cheek. He laughed at her as she took a step back, surprised at her own boldness. Blood dripped down his chin. He stepped in, more ready for her this time. 

Ari swung at his chest but he caught her arm with his hand, twisting it up behind her back. She dropped the knife with a yelp of pain and anger. With her back to her opponent she could see Rui's fight. Rui was fast and the leader was covered in gashes, but the bigger one was winning. Rui had blood running down the side of his face from a wound at his temple. **(AN: sound familiar at all?)**  The bandit was bigger, stronger, and deadlier. His speed wasn't enough; Rui was losing.

    Ari's captor ran his hand through her hair. "Don't worry, pretty one. He'll be dead soon. The boss has never lost a fight. And this tike has no chance." She flinched away from him as his hands got bolder. She pulled her knee up and stomped on his toe as hard as she could. 

He let her go and grabbed his foot in his hands. Hopping around in pain, he yelled at the others to get her. Grabbing her knife from the dirt, she crouched low, ready to face any attackers.

However, she wasn't expecting to be hit from above. Her eyes clouded over with pain. _Why do they always go for the head?_

The bandit who clubbed her, caught her as she fell to the ground. "You're more trouble than you're worth, girl."

*****************************************

Rui was struggling against the outlaw. His speed couldn't make up for the difference in size and strength. The thug even looked like he might be enjoying the fight. _Time to pick up the pace._

Rui stepped back far enough to get out of reach. The bandit followed. He kept moving back until the tree was behind him. The leader grinned, thinking that he had Rui cornered. 

"Time to die, whelp!" He snarled as he took the final swing. Rui placed a foot to the trunk of the tree, dodged the blow and pushed off from the base.

The leader fell to the ground, his gut pierced by Rui's knife. Rui pulled his weapon out of the body and turned to find the others.

He was not all that surprised to see that Ari was holding her own. It looked like she had just broken one bandit's foot. And the bandit was none too happy about it. Rui started running when he saw her clubbed over the head and fall to the ground.

*****************************************

Ari opened her eyes to see Rui fighting off all the bandits that had been watching her own fight just minutes before. He wasn't much more than a blur of steel and muscle. _Wow, he's fast._ Sooner than she could have ever hoped to overcome the bunch he was standing over their bodies, breathing deeply. He turned to her and crouched down.

"You okay?"

"Asides from the obvious brain damage I've received in the past day or two, I'm fine." She touched the back of her skull gingerly. "Why _do_ they always go for the head?"

He chuckled as he gripped her arm and helped her up. "You're easier to deal with when you're unconscious." 

She leaned her weight against him as she tried to make the trees stop spinning around her. "Gee, thanks." Looking up at him she saw the blood on his face. She reached her hand up and gently wiped it away from his eyes. "Are _you_ okay?" 

"I'll be fine." 

Their eyes met for a breathless second. She blushed and looked away, pulling away from him. _Stop that!_ She scolded herself. She looked back up at Rui from beneath the cover of her eyelashes. He was looking at her strangely. But it was something behind him that caught her attention. 

Ari gasped. "Look out!" 

The bandit leader laughed as Rui fell to the ground, a knife in his back.    

To be continued… 

_**************************************_

AN: ok I have a couple of apologies to make. One: Im sorry for leaving off at cliffhangers so often, it's just so much easier to finish the chapter that way you know? And Two: I apologies for the…ahem _innuendo,_ for lack of a better word. I read back over this and I almost delete the whole thing in frustration. I told you I was a perfectionist…but seriously, it's so _sappy_ at time I feel like gagging! But what do I do? I just post the damn thing instead. And another thing, I changed this from a PG rating to a PG-13. Why? Well, there's gonna be some swearing, and some blood, and some angst…so I did what I though was best.  (_some _swearing she says! HAHAHA! I have to admit, I love a heroine who can count her cuss words on more than one hand) SO! That's it! Thanks to all reviewers! You are my inspiration! (IE if you, yes YOU, want to be my inspiration then for crying out loud! REVIEW!!!!) 

***wanderlily***


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter 5

            Ari watched in horror as Rui fell to his knees, a knife in his back. She crouched low and held him upright by his shoulders as he struggled with the pain. The bandit leader slowly advanced on them. He himself had his fist at his gut, blood dripped a path behind him.

            She looked from the man she held up to the one who posed the most immediate threat. Rui pulled away from her and attempted to stand up. He ended up leaning on her shoulder for support. He had pulled the knife out of the muscle in his back and was preparing to fight once more. 

            "This is hopeless and you know it—" Ari started to say but Rui cut her off. 

"I'll hold him off. Make a run for it when you can."

            "Are you _insane_? You can't even stand up by yourself!"

            "I—can—too." The words were forced out between gritted teeth. He pulled away from her support and stood alone, hunched over, hands fisted around his knife, and ready to fight to the last. 

            The bandit chief stumbled forward but laughed at the condition his opponent was in.  The two faced off, each bleeding rivers of red. 

            _Rui's gonna lose! This is bad! The other guy could just fall on him and it'd be over. _Ari looked around frantically for something to use as a weapon to help Rui. She couldn't see anything that would hurt the thug enough to be of any help. _Oh! I just can't stand here and watch! I have to do something!_ Hands clenched into fists, she stood there, trembling in fear and anger, but she did not take a step towards the fight. _I'm sick of being so helpless!_

Rui rushed at his opponent, in hopes that one suicide attempt would be enough. It had to be enough. That was all that was left of his strength. The bandit didn't even bother with the knife that Rui stabbed into his bulk of an arm and just swiped his fist across Rui's head. He dropped like a stone. Red hair hit the ground with a sickening crack. The blackness was closing in, but the enemy was faster.

The man stood over Rui, blocking out the sunlight, and raised his weapon high for the final blow.

"You shoulda learned, whelp. You never—" 

Rui closed his eyes to the pain, barely hearing the last words. 

"You never…" 

He fell back with a ground-shaking thud that could have rivaled the earthquake Ari had felt not forty-eight hours before. Two feather-fletched arrows stood out from his chest, casting bizarre shadows into the pool of blood that surrounded him.  

Ari gasped out in relief and ran over to kneel beside Rui, not even bothering to wonder who had shot the final blow. Rui's eyes were closed, but she could still make out the sound of his breathing. He struggled against the dark as he tried to open his eyes. 

"Rui! Rui! He's dead! Wake up!" She shook his shoulders trying to get him to open his eyes. "Rui!"

"Can't you just let me die in_ peace_!?" He hissed at her.    

"You won't die."

Ari spun around. A silhouette stood tall, looking down at her and the bleeding man on the ground. 

            "He was mine! You…you stole my kill!" Rui forced the words out through gritted teeth. His body clenched into a ball in pain. 

            Ari looked down at him in horror. She then turned back as the form crouched down to her level. Hands rose, palms down, over Rui's body; green light gathered around the palms. 

            "Don't you _dare_!" Rui spat out. "I'd rather die here, than live knowing that I lost my one revenge!" The stranger continued doing whatever it was that he was doing, ignoring the ramblings. "_Don't you understand?_"

            The light flowed from the hands to the wound. Blood faded. Muscles slowly un-cramped. 

Rui's body lay still, at rest. The only movement Ari noted was the gradual rise and fall of his breath. 

            "Why did you feel you needed to kill him yourself?" The stranger asked mildly. "He is dead. It is the same end, is it not?"

            "No. He was mine." His fist clenched in the dirt. "You don't understand. He _killed _them both. Then he refused to kill me. So I survived only on the vow that one day he would reach the same end, by _my_ hand! Because of you, that vow is nothing. _I _am nothing!"

            Surprisingly, the stranger laughed out loud. "You always were melodramatic. Get up Rui. You're healed."  The form stood up and dusted the dirt from their cloak. Ari finally got a good look at him….or her.

            The stranger was a tall, rugged-looking woman. She wore dark green pants stuffed into knee-high boots. A colorless shirt was worn under a jacket of padded leather armor. The quiver strapped across her back matched the leather guard that protected her left wrist. A strung bow was casually slung over the opposite shoulder. 

            The woman's dark hair was braided away from her dark eyes. Dark eyes much like… Ari looked from Rui to the stranger and back again. The completely healed man was also squinting up at her. His matching eyes widened as he stuttered, "N-no. You…you were dead."  

            The woman reached an arm down to help him stand as she said, "Long time no see, brother dear."

******************************************************************************

            "So…" 

Night had fallen. The sight of all the blood stained ground left a bitter and metallic taste in Ari's mouth, so the three had settled down away from the clearing for the night. Ari sat on a blanket on one side of the fire. Rui sat opposite her, in complete silence. His dark eyes never left the face of their new companion. She, herself, looked to be very content in the warmth of the fire, leaning her back against a tree stump. 

"So…" Ari cleared her throat and tried to get some conversation moving around the bunch. Rui wasn't helping. He continued to stare in silence. "Ummm. Well!" Ari turned to the woman and stuck out her hand. "My name's Ari!" She smiled brightly. 

The woman looked quizically at the offered hand, then up at its owner. Ari withdrew her hand with a nervous laugh. "Right. I forgot." She said under her breath.

  The woman noticed her unease and then laughed out loud. "I apologize. I haven't introduced myself have I?" She gave Ari a genuine smile. "I'm called Kura."

Rui looked at her sharply. "That's not your—" 

Kura cut him off, responding, "We've both changed, Rui. I'm not who I was. Neither are you." She didn't look at him but into the flames. The silence grew unbearably loud.

"Nice to meet you." Ari spoke up. "So I take it you are related to that grouch over there?" She motioned at Rui.

The woman chuckled. "Yes. He's my little brother. We were separated years ago and I think he's in shock." She turned to him. "So, you thought I was dead?" 

"I saw them kill you both." He muttered into the fire.

"What am I then, a _ghost_?" She laughed at him. 

"You could be…" He hunched over defensively.

Kura crawled over to his side and put her arm around his shoulders. "I promise you, I'm real. I won't leave you again." He leaned his head onto her shoulder, and Ari could have sworn she saw the firelight reflected off tears.

The fire blazed and a log snapped in the quiet of the campsite. Without moving, Rui voiced the question that Ari was dying to ask. It came out as no more than a whisper. "What _happened_ to you?"

Kura leaned her head back and stared up at the dark treetops…

For Ari's benefit she started her story at the beginning.

"When those murderers came, they did what they always do first… they burned the village."

_Fire blazed all around. Everything from the thatch roof to the straw-covered ground was aflame. Smoke billowed out from every home within sight. There were boards blocking the doors and windows. Dark, tall horses with dark, tall riders trotted calmly through the carnage. Screaming could be heard all around._

" Those that escaped the fire only ran to the mercy of the bandit's blades."

_A woman streaked with soot tumbled out of a collapsing house. She crawled on her hands and knees away from the wreckage. Tears streamed from her terror-filled eyes. A shadow fell across her path. Trembling, she raised her head to see the dark rider looming above her. Cold steel glinted in the harsh sunlight. She closed her eyes._

            "We managed to escape the fires. But when we tried to run…"

            _A dark haired, dark eyed woman herded two children away from the burning house. They melted into the shadows of the trees. The boy, scrawny and small for his eleven years, was in tears. The mother hushed him and hurried her family through the forest. Out of the shadows, a horse and rider appeared. The woman pushed her children into the surrounding brush and told them to run. The woman stood up to the rider in challenge. The children stared on in horror as their mother stood her ground. She turned to them and mouthed 'GO!' They stumbled through the brush and ran away. The woman fell to the ground in a flash of steel. Her son stopped and turned, crying out to her. The rider caught up to the children within seconds and grabbed the smaller one. The girl turned on the rider, demanding her brother back. The rider clubbed her over the head with the blunt of the blade and turned back to return to the village, a new slave in tow._

"They killed Mother…took you…and left me for dead." She laughed a humorless laugh. "I'm not that easy to get rid of."

            _The dark-eyed girl walked through the ashes of her village, searching for a sign of life. She fell to her knees in the midst of the charred remains of her home, teeth gritted, fighting back the tears that were coursing down her face._

            "From there, I started walking. I wandered from town to town, looking for something…you maybe." Kura squeezed Rui's shoulders. "But to tell you the truth I didn't think I'd ever see you again. I lived on my own, never staying in one place for long. I learned how to shoot and that's how I stayed alive. I ended up hiring my bow out to earn enough to get by. I've been living like that for the past…oh, five years has it been? Then I got to hearing about this gang of bandits. They are not a popular bunch…"

            _A hooded figure sits in a tavern, back to the door, listening to a drunken conversation. The ramblings turned to the story of a vicious bandit gang that attacked random villages leaving nothing but ashes in their wake._

"I hunted them down. And here we are now." Rui was silent throughout the story. Kura took her arm back and wrapped both around her drawn up knees. She turned to her brother. "What happened to you?" 

            He stared into the firelight. His eyes met the sympathetic ones of Ari across the flames. He cleared his throat and sat up a little straighter. "They took me with them…like you said. I don't remember much. It's more a blur of emotions than of situations. They treated me like dirt, and that's what I was reduced to. I was so angry…I literally lived off the thought of revenge. I was their slave for the years. Nothing interesting happened…" He looked up at Ari again. "Until you came." 

            Kura nudged him in the side. "So who is she?"

            Ari took that as her chance to tell her story. When she tried to speak, her words were lost in her throat. She tried again. "I was lost in the woods. The bandits caught me. Rui saved me and we both escaped. The bandits pursued and that's when you came. Thanks for helping, by the way. And for healing…wait. How exactly _did_ you do that?" Ari looked closer at the woman. 

            Kura ignored her question and asked the same one Rui had asked her earlier. "What were you doing alone in the woods anyway? Don't you know that's practically begging bandits to kidnap you?" 

            Rui started to laugh but changed it into a cough when Ari shot him a dirty look.

            "It wasn't my fault! One minute I was at work," Ari started to explain. "I was minding my own business, well I guess I wasn't really supposed to be up in that storage room," Ari rambled waving her hands to help explain her point. "And then there was this earthquake and all the books fell off the shelves, so I was stuck cleaning up blah blah blah."

            Kura watched with one eyebrow raised at the antics of this strange young woman. Rui shook his head and tugged on his sister's sleeve. Quietly, he said "She's the Suzaku no Miko."  Kura didn't hear him, she was so intrigued by Ari's ramblings. 

            "…And the next thing the book dumps me somewhere in the middle of a forest in what I gather to be ancient China!"  Ari stopped talking and took a few deep breaths to calm herself down.

Kura, confused, said "I think you lost me…" 

"It's because she's from another world!" Rui sat up to get their attention. Again he stated, "She is the _Suzaku no Miko_!" 

Kura's jaw dropped in disbelief. "No!"

"Yes." Said her brother.

Kura looked at the light-haired girl. "Wow."

Ari blushed and looked away from the staring eyes.  

"Well. _It's about time!" _Kura sat with her hands on her knees.  "Does the capital know?" 

"Not yet. I was going to take her after we got away from the bandits. She hasn't been here long." 

"Okay. So I'll help you to the capital too." Kura bowed from the waste to Ari. "And if I remember the stories correctly, I'll be joining you in your hunt for the remaining five warriors." 

Rui winced.

Ari thought back to what Rui had told her. "I thought there were seven warriors?" 

"Yes." She looked at Rui, confused. "I take it I am your…um… first Celestial Warrior? Suzaku Seishi Mitsukake." She held up her hand. A symbol on the palm blazed to life. "I have the power to heal."

"So that's how you saved Rui!" Ari's eyes shone in appreciation. She stood up and bowed back to her warrior. "Thank you very much. But I feel like I should warn you, I have absolutely _no idea_ what's going on. Nevertheless, I'll greatly appreciate all your help." She sat back down, smiling like a fool. Then she remembered something and her eyes snapped open. She stood up and walked over to Rui. She slapped him upside the head. "Why the hell didn't you tell me your sister was a Celestial Warrior?!"

Rui rubbed the back of his head and didn't respond.

Kura looked at Rui then back up at Ari. "That's not the only thing he's not telling you." She leaned back against the tree stump and closed her eyes. Rui shot a look at her, but she continued.

"You twit. Do you really think you'd be able to take her to the capital without her noticing? Give the girl a _little_ more credit!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about?" Rui asked her, hoping the shadows would hide his flushed face.

Ari sat down next to Rui. "What aren't you telling me?"

"I'm not telling you…I mean I'm not _not _telling you anything." His blush deepened. "Arg! Never mind!"

Ari looked at Kura in question.

"What he's not telling you is that he's totally…"

"KURA!"

"…completely…"

"_Sister dearest!_"

"…Head over heals…"

Rui clamped his hand over her mouth. "Not another word," he growled in her ear.

"Well, fine then. No need to be so touchy…But there is one thing you really should know…" Kura turned to Ari. 

"Rui here is actually another of your Celestial Warriors."

Rui's mouth fell open as the attack came from a totally different direction. Ari looked at him in confusion. "What?"

Kura bowed dramatically and motioned at her brother. 

"Priestess. Allow me to introduce you to your second Celestial Warrior, Suzaku Seishi Tasuki!"    

Author's Note:

HAHAHAHAHA HAAAAAA! I do so love torturing my characters! And we have a new one! Let's all give a warm house welcome to KURA! (applaud)

YAY! I like her. She's cool! 

I have a confession to make… When I first started to write this I designed Ari with well, me in mind…I know, I know, I'm sorry. But the good news is, she's not all that much like me, except in appearances. (Blue eyes, Red-blond hair, clumsy, works at a library) (I do actually work at a library BTW) But that's it I swear! I seem to have been putting little pieces of my personality in my other characters though. Kura's Big Sisterness. (that is all me) and Rui's …I don't know, but I like him.

I have another confession to make…I seem to be influenced more and more by anime/mangas…other than Fushigi Yugi…I'M CHEATING ON MY DEAREST! WAAAAHHH! It was just a little fling with that Inu-Yasha character, I swear! It's over! Please forgive me, Yu Watase-sama!!!

(kow-tow) ((did I spell that right?))

Enter Kura, stage left: 

Kura: That's not the only thing she's not telling you…

Wanderlily: What? No—!

Kura: See what I found by her laptop?!? (holds up Japanese phrase book)

Wanderlily: (gasp!) give it back!!!

Kura: Truth is she's been looking up words for their Japanese equivalents…for her CHARACTER"S NAMES!!! 

Wanderlily: (tears) It's true…it's all TRUE!!!

Kura: WHAT THE HELL KINDA NAME IS KURA ANYWAY?!?!?!

Wanderlily: hey! It's better than it was, trust me…

OK ENOUGH!!!! No More confessions! My apologies for being stupid, and lame attempts at humor…if your looking for that check out my humor fic, cause people seem to find that one funny. (pseudomask, that's all you) But hell! I try!

This author's note is gonna end up longer than the actual chapter…hehehe.

Thanks everyone for reading. Review, review, review! Please?

One last thing: TRANSLATIONS!!! (for all those who don't know simple Japanese words nor happen to be the proud owner of a Japanese-english phrasebook!) These are all from my book so DON"T KILL ME IF I'm WRONG!!!

**Ari**: Actually it means ant. Great huh? But that's not where I got it from. Ari is short from Hikari, (thus the title of the entire story) which means light.

**Hikari**: Light, see above. 

**Suzaku no Hikari**: Light of Suzaku

**Rui**: no idea what that means…but it's short for **Akarui**, which means bright.

And finally…**Kura:**comes from Kurai whichmeans dark…as to what her name used to be…hehehe, that's for me to cringe at and you do wonder about.

Kura: (looking at old list of character designs) my name was WHAT!?!

TTFN. Ta ta for now!

                                                ***wanderlily***


	6. Chapter Six

 SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1And Now For The Chapter With The Much Wondered About "Past of Rui"!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own diddly squat! 'cept Kura, Ari, and Rui! Yay! I get the red head!! Whoo Hoo! (actually Rui's a dip-shit at times…but that's for later chapters…) Read On!

Suzaku no Hikari

Chapter 6

"Huh?" Ari stared stupidly at Kura, her first – or perhaps second – Celestial Warrior. The woman simply smiled sweetly and leaned back against the old tree stump behind her.

"Ask him yourself." 

"Rui?" Ari asked slightly panicky. "What's she saying?" She searched for his eyes in the shadows next to her. He refused to meet them, but let out a long, drawn out sigh, as if to admit that he'd lost. 

"This is what she's saying." He held up his forearm; the sleeve of his tunic slid down until it gathered around the crook of his elbow. And right before her eyes, a bright symbol came to life in his very skin. It glowed with a red light that reminded Ari of that which the book gave off before it transported her.

She reached a tentative hand out to touch the symbol. At contact, the light flashed brightly for a second, dimming to its original luster when she pulled back with a gasp. Rui watched her as she stared at his arm, bewildered. She looked up at him, trying to voice her confusion.

"I am a Suzaku Seishi, a Celestial Warrior, as is Kura. Tasuki is one of the constellations under Suzaku, my constellation…I really don't want to explain all of this to you right now. Once we get to the capital someone will be able to tell you the whole story without messing it up like I am."

"That you are." Kura spoke up with out opening her eyes.

Rui cleared his throat impatiently. "The point is that I am, _we_ are, Celestial Warriors and so, are bound to protect you as Priestess." He finished then waited for her response. 

Ari's mind raced. There was something wrong with this world's people. All they did was fight and lie…or maybe that was all Rui did. Kura seemed honest enough. Ari shook her head to rid herself of the thought. Rui couldn't be as terrible as to not tell her. This wasn't right! 

"Why didn't you tell me?" Her eyes were filled with a wide range of emotions. Surprisingly she didn't yell. Instead, she leaned forward and spoke to him in a voice that sent a shiver down Rui's spine. 

"Why did you _lie to me?" _

"I didn't-"

"Yes! You did!"

Rui said in his defense, "I never actually said that I wasn't—"

"I can't believe you!" She cut him off mid sentence again. "Not telling me something _that important is just as bad as lying. Worse even!" The pain in her voice was evident. She moved away from him. __Whoever said that "boy's lie" must have had me in mind. Stupid, stupid, stupid. _

"Ari…Ari, I had my reasons—" Rui reached out to her.

"_Don't." Ari cut him off again, brushing away his hand. "I don't want to hear it." She moved to her bedroll that Rui had stolen from the bandits and tucked her head into her folded arms. "…stupid…" He heard her mumble into the cloth of the shirt that he'd lent to her. He wasn't sure if she was talking about him, or herself._

_But really now, this is what you get for trusting a total stranger…I HATE it when I'm right like this! _

Rui looked over at his sister for help. She sat with her head tilted back, snoring lightly in her sleep. He laughed through his nose. He would receive no help from her. He stood up and walked over to Ari and sat next to her while she pretended to be falling asleep. She refused to acknowledge him until he started talking. 

"I told you I had my reasons right? Well since everyone is so up for stories, this will fit right in."   She didn't respond, but he continued anyway. 

"I mentioned something about former Priestesses before, right?. Well, each of them had seven Warriors, obviously. The last Suzaku no Miko was very close to her warriors. Each of them had a special relationship with their Priestess." 

Rui's voice sounded as though it was repeating a much-loved fairytale or bedtime story. 

"The one called Tamahome was the closest to her. In fact, they say that he was reincarnated into the Priestess' world so that they could be together. That's how strong the last Miko's love was." 

Rui noticed that Ari was still turned away from him, but listening intently. He continued.

"The warriors were all very loyal to their Miko, as they should be. They all loved her in their own ways. But one loved her in a way that could not be returned. He was called Tasuki. He was as brave and strong as they come. His weapon of choice was a flame throwing tessen—"

"A _what?" Ari's voice was flat._

"Never mind. The point is that Tasuki loved his priestess, but would never receive her love in return. This was because her love was for Tamahome alone. Tasuki came to accept this with time, and when she left this world, he wished her and Tamahome only the best."

"Why are you telling me this?" Ari asked suspiciously.

"I'm getting to that. Be patient." Rui smiled. "Tasuki got on with his life after she left, as only the strongest of men can do. He soon met and fell in love with a village woman named Shin'ya. Her dark hair and eyes proved true her namesake…"

Rui stopped, pausing awkwardly.

Ari rolled over to face him. "Go on."

He swallowed and took a breath, gathering himself.

"She was my mother," he said quietly. 

Ari remembered the story that Kura had told earlier of the bandits attacking their village and killing their mother. "Wait… So, I take it that, since you say that the Warrior fell in love with the woman you say was your mother, then that means your trying to tell me that the former Tasuki was your _father_?" 

He nodded.

"Whoa. So where was your father when your village was raided? Did he die too?"

Rui laughed a dry laugh. "Not there. Not then. I can't even remember him I was so young when he left my mother. But my mother would always tell us stories about him and the brave things he did."

"That's why…" He closed his eyes. "That's why I couldn't go about saying that I was your Warrior. To me, he still is the Tasuki, and always will be."

"That's not a very healthy way of looking at things."

"I know it's not. But that doesn't change anything."

Ari lay silent for a full minute, not daring to tread any farther on this dangerous path. 

"Alright, I can understand that..." _Kinda. Geez, I knew all the cute ones were head-cases!_ "I'll forgive you."

Rui just nodded again.

There was nothing left for her to say. Or nothing she could say. She wasn't sure which. Ari yawned, reminding herself that it was past her bedtime. Rui patted her shoulder. 

"You should go to sleep. I'll stand watch." 

"But what about you?" She argued, fighting back the fatigue.

"As a Celestial Warrior it is my duty to protect my Priestess. I'll be fine."

"Good." She murmured sleepily. "Because I don't think I can keep my eyes open for another second."

Rui chuckled and tossed a blanket at her. "Go to sleep."

She smiled as she burrowed into the warm blanket. 

"Thanks…Tasuki."

"Rui."

"Rui. Right, sorry."  

*******************************************************************

_::Ari's Dream::_

_She was in the dark. She couldn't see through the gray dimness. The shadows completely surrounded her. _

This place was new to her, but strangely familiar. It had a familiar smell; the sort of mustiness that you only smell around…OLD BOOKS!

"I'm in a library." _She thought. "But this isn't __my library…"_

_She looked around, her poorly adjusted eyes made out the rows of dusty volumes. "Definitely a library, though."_

_Walking over to a nearby shelf, Ari pulled a book off the ledge._

Like the whole situation, the ancient, red cover tried to remind her of something, something that she just couldn't put a finger on… 

_Opening of the book revealed a story written in old Chinese. _

That bell was ringing furiously in the back of her head; there was something important she should be remembering…

_…A story that began with an incantation…_

The book gave off a bright red glow.

_"…Herein contains the tale…"_

In the distance, she heard the sharp cry of a bird.

_"…of a young lady and her quest…"_

The light crawled up her arms.

_"…to gather the seven Constellations of Suzaku…"_

Ari saw red feathers swirl around her in a flurry of light and power.

_"…For indeed the moment the page is turned…"_

The light flashed.

_"…the story will become reality…"_

And the world around her disappeared.

********************************************************

Ari opened her eyes to early morning sunlight. Slowly, she sat up and tried to stretch away the soreness that comes from sleeping on the ground.

Kura had a fire going, and was cooking what smelled like breakfast. Rui was asleep in his bedroll, having stayed up late keeping watch.

Kura noticed Ari awake and nodded to her. "Good morning."

" G'morning," Ari replied, yawning widely.

"Hungry?" Kura handed her a bowl of warm rice and chopsticks.

"Thanks."

She sat down by the fire and tried to eat her food with the utensils she had never really mastered at home.

"Sleep well?" Kura asked her, watching her struggle with the chopsticks with much interest.

"Relatively…I had a strange dream though."

"What about?" 

When Ari hesitated she added, "Dreams are very important, you know. They can be read as warnings of the future, or even of the past. A person with power such as yourself is likely to have very potent dreams."

"A person with power…?"

"Well, you are the Suzaku no Miko."

"Right." She looked down into her bowl. "The dream…I don't know. It's hard to put into words."

"Try." Kura prompted gently, as she sat down with her own bowl of rice.

"It was a lot like what happened when I was brought to this world. But different somehow, like it wasn't me…I didn't feel like I was _Ari…Does that make any sense?" Laughing at what she was saying, Ari shook her head and tried to eat some more of her breakfast without dropping it._

"I can't say that I know what that means, but it would be good to remember it, for future reference." Kura watched her for a second then let out a poorly contained laugh. She got up and retrieved a wooden spoon from the cooking gear and handed it to Ari. "Here, use this. At the rate you're going, you'll starve before you eat a mouthful."

"Thank you!" Ari gasped gratefully. 

"No worries. Can't have the Miko starve, now can we?" Kura's voice sounded serious, but laughter shone from her eyes. "So, have you and my brother made up?"

Ari choked on the spoon. "You were awake?"

"I didn't want to interrupt. Besides, Rui needs to learn to get himself out of his own messes."

"Hmmm. Yeah, we made up."

"That's good. He's been through a lot, that boy." Kura looked over at her brother. 

"Both of you have." Ari watched her, and added, "I wish I were as strong as you…both of you."

"No…" She paused. "The strength we have is something gained through much hardship. I hope you never have to be as strong as us... Although, being the Suzaku no Miko will make you stronger, whether you wish it or not."

Ari nodded, accepting what Kura told her. "Where do we go from here?"

"We take you to the capital, and the emperor. There you will officially become the Priestess of Suzaku…and I don't actually know what happens after that. We have to find the other warriors, but I don't know where we start."

"It was so easy to find you two…maybe it will be the same for the rest." Ari said hopefully.

"Beginner's luck," Rui stated from where he stood a few feet away from the women. "This is no walk in the park. They could be anywhere."

"Don't be such an optimist, Rui." Kura gestured at the food. "Eat something, then maybe you won't be such a grouch."

Ari giggled as he scowled at his sister. Her smile faded when she remembered the way she and her own brother would argue.

Kura noticed her change in mood and ruffled her hair. "You homesick?"

"A little bit, but I'll be okay." She forced a smile. "You two just remind me of the way me and my little brother would fight."

"Mmm-hmmm. Family is nice, especially when you're together." Kura nodded wisely. Then she stood up and said, "Enough reminiscing! Time we got going!"

"Right." Said Rui who was already packing up the bedrolls. 

Ari stood up to help, and a thought hit her. 

_This is going to be one hell of an adventure._

_*******************************************************************_

Author's Note: 

LA! How was that? I've redone this chapter like twenty times to get it right. I'm just realizing how hard it is to hold a story like this together. I have a new found respect for all fanfic authors. You people are _amazing._

Right, now the real thing that's buggin me about this chapter is Rui's explanation of his lineage. Who woulda thought that Tasuki would actually have a family? Not me, that's for damn sure! But I needed a connection…So, that's the way it goes. In _my_ story, Tasuki meets a woman named Shin'ya (Japanese phrase-book say's…Midnight!) and ummm…I'm not gonna say marries her, cause Tasuki, married? That's pushin' it. So he stays with her for two, three years, then takes off, sorry, he doesn't seem the fatherly type either. So that's it…as to him not liking girls, well she's not a girl now is she? She's a WOMAN! Okay, enough of that. One day I'll write another ficcie about their story. One day…(btw, I torture Tasuki because I wuv him so much)

And to the reviewer who reviewed like forever ago, asking for Ari to be more like Yui than Miaka…I ask you this. What kind of Miaka can't eat her breakfast with chopsticks? Hmm? (BTW I happen to be a master of the 'sticks, so no pinning that one on me!)

Now time to thank reviewers! My reviews have like doubled, thanks to a little KT-chan, (hold on a sec girlie, i've got a bone to pick w/ you). First and formost I thank the ever-most faithful Pseudomask!!! (ever-most...is that even a word?) Thank you so much for reviewing, i alway look forward to the encouragement. You Are The Best!(BTW you've got competition for the title of most frequent reviewer in this story...)

Next up is...Dragonheart!!! Thank you for reading, and liking for that matter, my extremely humble story. I'm glad you like it. And i will keep writing don't you worry.

YueMichiruNaragisawaMiko!  Which one of you is it that's reading this story? Thanks for reviewing. all reviews make me smile. ^_^

Hmmm...who's left. let me think...(taps a finger to her lips) Oh, yes! KT-chan! 

...KT-chan, let me tell you about the last time i went to check my e-mail! I logged on...

*******

Wanderlily is sitting at the computer waiting for her e-mail account to appear. Her hands are clasped together. 

_Please please please let there be a review...just one, that's all i ask! please!_

The screen appears. Her eyes go wide in shock. Her jaw drops to the table.

"Holy Shit! I have SEVEN new reviews!!!"

"What was that, dear?" her mother calls up to her from the base of the stairs.

"Never mind!"

_Oh my god! 7 reviews! i can die happy now! Hmmm. what's this say..oh it's from KT-chan! she must have gotten the guilt trip review i just gave her new fic...lets see what she says...hmmm...she thinks my story is cliche...hmmm. SHE THINKS MY STORY IS CLICHE!?!?! WHY ON EARTH WOULD SHE THINK THAT ABOUT MY- _

Wanderlily looks back over previous chapters.

_You know what...she just might have a point...WAAAAAHHHHH! (SNIFF SNIFF) __MY STORY'S CLICHE!!! I HATE THIS! I QUIT! I CAN'T WRITE! I GIVE UP! I'LL NEVER WRITE AGAIN!!!!_

Wanderlily moves on to her third stage of writer's-rejection-itis (the first being the denial, the second being the depression, you get the picture) She goes downstairs and eats a tub of Ben-and-Jerry's.__

_I feel much better now. ^_^_

Okay, so there are a few cliches to be found within my story. I never said i was going for originality here now did I? (checks previous author's notes just to be sure.) I wanted to write this story to _write a story_. I wanted to create new characters that had personalities and even pasts that could be tied back to the original story. Ari is cliche, i agree with that wholeheartedly. But i've made her very emotional and passionate because i believe that is what it takes to be the Suzaku no Miko. She has wit and a potty-mouth because...well, that's just me. This story is my first real one that i've _ever_ written, surprisingly enough. (Monday Night Football was a _fluke_ that i hadn't planned to post but did so anyway for some strange reaseon) And i've spent the past years reading other author's works...instead of trying to write my own. I'm just now figuring out how tough it is to make a story like this plausible, with as few loopholes as possible. 

KT-chan...i thank you for telling me my story is cliche. My ego was starting to swell from all the compliments I was getting from other reviewers, (don't you peeps go getting any ideas now...) At this point in time my ego is properly deflated and i'm ready to try writing another chapter. And if it's cliche as well...TOUGH LUCK! I'm kidding. i appreciate all the time and effort you put into reading and reviewing every chapter. Thank You.(one final note, i've actually attempted to aviod quite a few major cliches but you won't get to see those untill later chapters...example of major cliche i've avoided: The good old guy walks in on/ peeps at the main female character whilst bathing. Oh yes i caught that one waaaay ahead of time.) 

Thanks again to all reviewers. I wuv you all!

Your's truely, the _ever-most ice-cream-hyped-up Wanderlily._

***wanderlily***

R.O.D

(Aka: Review Or Die!)  


	7. Chapter Seven

Hey, Hey, Hey! I am sorry for taking so long to update, but good writing takes time you know? Once a week isn't _that_ bad is it? It takes me about one day or two to get a basic chapter out, then another to edit, then another to try to forget about it, and one more to go back over the chapter and fix it up a bit you know? (remind me to never use run on sentences like that in my story…sheesh!) GOOD NEWS!!! I just spent ALL of my money…been saving up $ from work for about a year now…and I bought my very own computer! Which means I have more opportunities to write more chapters…good huh? I used to have to kidnap my dad's laptop and write chapters when I could…I can't write on paper…just doesn't get the juices flowing you know? And I have to write in my room away from people looking over my shoulder to see what I'm typing…don't even get me started… So I'll try to update more often, OKEE-DAY? In return you have to review! Read on! 

 SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1Chapter 7

***Ari's POV***

            The forest eventually gave way to an old dirt road. Scrub brush graced the side of the horse-trodden path. The air was so clear, the spectacle of the northern mountains could be seen for miles. The sky shone above the travelers, sunlight reflecting off metal trappings.            

            Two horses, carrying three travelers, made for close confinements. 

            _At least I'm not tied up, this time, _thought Ari, her arms wrapped around Rui's torso. Kura was convinced that Ari and herself were more than her horse could bear, the animal being tired out from rushing off to fight bandits, so Ari rode with Rui. _Matchmaker sister...ugh. Not like I don't have enough to worry about, a meddling sister will be just... _

            Ari lost her train of thought as Rui urged the horse into a gallop. Ari tightened her grip and held on for all she was worth. _STUPID HORSE-CAMP DIDN'T TEACH ME SHIT!!_

            Rui looked back at her. "You okay back there?"

            "Yeah, yeah." Her backside hit the saddle especially hard, making her wince. "I'm fine," she said, her voice strained.

            He laughed at her. "You don't know how to ride a horse." It was a statement, not a question.

            "Well, I never thought I'd be stuck relying on one for serious travel purposes, now did I?" She stuck her tongue out at the back of his head. Kura laughed. 

            "What _did _you use for transportation then?" 

            _Oh geez. _"Well, there were cars...and trains...and the subway...you know what? I'm not even gonna _try_ to explain."  

            Rui didn't respond, but seemed to be studying her movements on the horse.

            "Stop fighting the motion." He said to her. "Move _with_ the horse...No, no, no. WITH the horse!"

            By the time Rui had talked Ari into a reasonable movement, Kura was barely able to stay on her own horse, she was laughing so hard. Both of her traveling companions were glaring at her.

            She held a hand to her stomach. "Ohhhh! You two...are just so...I don't know the word for it..." 

            They continued to glower at her. 

*********************************

            "Ari, look." Rui breathed back to her.

            "Huh?" She sat up, having fallen asleep against Rui's broad back, and looked. The sight that lay in front of them took her breath away. From the top of the hill, they looked down on the capital stretching out below them. The palace was clearly visible, standing apart from the rest of the city. Tile roofs glowed red in the light of the setting sun. 

            "We're here." He answered.

            From halfway down the hill, Kura called up to them. "Hey, hurry up!"

            Rui heeled the horse into motion, causing Ari to grab onto him once more. 

            "You did that on purpose!" she accused him. 

            He just laughed.

                                    ************************************

_            ::Inside the palace::_

Two young men stood alone in an empty room. The only piece of furniture was a bench, crouching against one wall. The wooden floor was waxed to a golden shine that faintly reflected the two figures. Each held a sword, raised, prepared. 

            The two were very different. One was taller than the other by at least half a head. He wore plain practice clothes, but carried himself well, like he knew his place in the world. Long hair was pulled back into a high ponytail. When he stepped into the sunlight that filtered in from a window, his dark hair seemed to blaze gold. Gold flecked eyes watched his opponent's every move. A fit body was laced with muscle. He moved like a cat, surefooted and strong.

            The shorter of the two was every bit as sure of himself as his training partner. Green eyes were quick, aware of everything. Shoulder-length, brown hair was tied at the back of his neck. A teasing smile played at his mouth.

            "Don't expect me to go easy on you," the shorter one called out.

            The other didn't deign to answer. 

            With a flash of steel, both stepped in. The swords clashed again and again. The green-eyed one attacking, the other fending him off. They moved across the floor, feet not making a sound. The attack movement switched swords. Once the tall man moved, it became clear he had been holding out. Within a minute, he had not only disarmed the shorter man, but had him on the floor as well. 

            The man with long hair stood over the other, sword resting against the bridge of his opponent's nose. The corner of his mouth curled up in a smile. 

            "I win."

            "_Obviously_. You always win." 

            He shrugged one shoulder to say there was nothing he could do about it. Leaning down, he offered his arm to his friend.

            He grasped his arm, stood up and  walked over to the bench. Sitting down, he wiped his forehead on a towel. The taller man joined him, gulping a mouthful of water from a bottle that he returned to the floor.

            "I need to find myself a better practice partner..." he said wryly.

            "You say that after every match...but you never actually try to get anyone better. And besides, I thought I had a pretty good attack there at the beginning." The green eyed man waved his finger in front of his friend's nose to emphasize his point. Suddenly, he turned his head at a noise outside the door.

            The taller walked over to screen and pulled it open to see what the noise was about. Servants were running up and down the hallway in a frenzy. He said nothing, but raised his eyebrows in question. The other man walked out into the hall and pulled aside a servant girl. 

            "Kiku, my love, my flower, what is all this about?" He asked her, arm snaking around her shoulders. 

            She looked at his hand out of the corner of her eyes, plucked his sleeve from her collar and slipped out from under his arm. "Kei-san, not now. I'm in a hurry. I don't have time-"

            He cut her off, his voice syrupy smooth. "Yes, I can see that. But _why?_"

            She gaped at him. "You haven't heard?"

            Kei rolled his eyes. The other looked at her as well. " I admit to curiosity, myself."

            She nodded respectfully to him. "News just came of visitors to the palace..."

            "What's so special about-"

            She cut Kei off in turn. "Visitor's claiming to have found the Suzaku no Miko." She bowed to both men. "Now if you'll excuse me, Taiyo-san, Kei-san." She rushed back into the madness of the hallways, leaving both men stunned at her revelation. 

            Kei looked up at his friend. "Did she say..."

            Taiyo nodded. "Mmm-hmm."

            They looked at each other for a full second before rushing off into the crowd of servants to join the audience.

                                    *************************************

                        _::The throne room::_

Ari stared down at the fabric of her pants. She could imagine the way the muscles in her thighs were stretching taunt from sitting on her knees. She imagined the tendons suddenly snapping from the strain, and winced.  

            The floor below her was a warm, finished wood that glowed in the lamp-light. The throne room in which she was sitting, was decked out in tapestries, making the hall seem almost cave-like. Before her rose a podium on which the emperor perched. 

            The emperor was a tired-looking man in his middle age. Silver streaks shone from his dark hair. He had the look of one who was very handsome in his youth, but knew that he no longer possessed his former beauty. His gold flecked eyes watched the girl kneeling before him.

            Rui, sitting to the right and slightly ahead of her, was speaking to the man on the podium. Kura flanked Rui's other shoulder, her head bowed respectfully.  Rui fell silent, having said his bit.

            The emperor brought his attention back to Rui. He leaned forward, resting his chin on the top of folded hands thoughtfully. When he spoke, the voice echoed throughout the hall.

            "We must admit to some confusion," he stated. "You say you have brought to us the Suzaku no Miko. Yet it has been naut but fifty years since the previous Miko graced us with her presence. Her strength and heart left this country in peace and prosperity. We have enjoyed these gifts for many years, and will continue to do so for many more to come. We have no need of a Suzaku no Miko at this time...Why would she appear at the height of this country's graces?" He looked back to Ari, who met his gaze levelly. "What's more, by all appearances, you have brought us, not a priestess, but a common kitchen boy off the streets." Rui's eyes narrowed a fraction at the slight on his honor. The man continued. "What proof do you have that this is indeed the Suzaku no Miko?"

            Ari watched the emperor sit back on his throne smugly. _Great. Now what? If he doesn't believe us..._She didn't want to think of that possibility.

            Rui bowed to the podium, almost sarcastically, and said, "If I may, your majesty." He stood up and turned to Ari. Offering her his hands, he pulled her up from the floor. Her legs went numb for a moment as the blood rushed back into the muscles. Rui pushed her forward gently. To the emperor he said, "I shall prove to you this is no ordinary _kitchen boy_."

            Kura hissed at him from the floor. "Watch your tone, Rui." He ignored her and tugged on the tie that held back Ari's hair. The golden strands fell loose around her face. A murmur went around the room as Ari raised her chin, revealing blue eyes for the court to see.

            "You show us nothing we have not seen before. There are tribes in the North with such colorings. This proves nothing." The emperor scowled at Rui.

            Rui scowled right back, muttering under his breath, "Stubborn old coot..."

            "Rui!" Kura hissed at him. 

            Rui pulled Ari's old clothes from a pack. Holding them up for the emperor to see, he argued, "These clothes are not of this land. These are of a foreign fabric, and style. They are from_ another world_." He watched as the emperor shook his head.

            "No, no. Not good enough. Our patience runs thin young man..." The emperor waved a hand to signal his attendants. Guards flanked Rui, Ari, and Kura, ready to escort them from the hall. Ari wriggled out of their grasp and bravely approached the throne. The man above her watched curiously, but raised a hand, stopping the soldiers up short.

            Ari looked into the eyes of the emperor, determined to prove herself. "I _do_ come from another world. Rui is telling the truth." _For a change. _"I come from a place very different from this country. My world is full of wonders you'd never imagine." She thought back to her home, and all the things she missed most. "There are cars that you can drive around in, and airplanes that can fly you to places across the world. There are telephones that let you speak to people millions of miles away, computers that you can do almost anything with, television, and refrigerators, and microwaves, and radios. There's electricity_, and indoor plumbing!_" 

            _I'm really gonna miss that._

She didn't notice but everyone had stopped moving to listen to her speak. Her focus was on the emperor alone. He watched her plead for his trust; his eyes were almost, against his own will, sympathetic. 

            "My home is there, with friends and my _family_." 

            Tears formed in Ari's eyes, but she just clenched her fisted tightly and continued. 

            "My room, and my bed with those ugly quilts on it that Mom likes so much. There's my ugly-ass carpet that won't get clean no matter how hard we clean it." She ran through everything that reminded her of home, desperate to prove herself. 

            Kura was standing close to her, a comforting hand resting on Ari's shoulder. Rui stood behind them, scowling blackly at anyone who came too close. Ari continued to beseech the man on the podium. "There's my books, and my pictures of my friends, and my teddy-bear that I've had since I was like _two-_"   

            The emperor stopped her mid sentence. "What was that?" 

            She froze mid sentence. "Huh?"

            "That last part, about the bear."

            "My teddy bear?" She scowled and put her hands on her hips, as she attempted to retain her dignity. "Hey mister, I know what you're thinking. I'm too old to be clinging to a comfort object, but I've had that old thing forever and a day, so there's nothing you can say to-" 

            The older man waved a servant over to him. The retainer brought forth what, for all appearances, looked like an old, well loved, teddy bear. "Did it look anything like this?" He asked her. 

            She looked at it critically. "Kinda. Mine had darker fur, and a red bow tied around the wrist..."_ Where the hell did they get a _teddy bear_ from?_

            The emperor explained, while he deftly turned the bear in his hands. "This toy was given to my father by the previous Suzaku no Miko. If what you say is true...it is quite possible you really are the next priestess..." He rubbed his hand over his eyes. "We will speak of this topic with our retainers and hopefully reach a decision. Until then, you three are to stay in the palace. Our servants will show you to your rooms. We will inform you when there will be another audience." With that he swept off the dais and into an adjoining room, followed by what Ari took to be his retainers. She noticed two younger men joining them, looking sorely out of place amid the fancy robes and gray hair. 

            She watched them leave and sighed, leaning backwards against Rui. "I want to go home...I don't belong here."

            Rui patted her head. "I know, I know. But you can't go home until you save the world, right?" He turned her around so they could follow the servants to their rooms. 

            She snorted. "Do you really want a savior who keeps a teddy bear?"

            He smiled but didn't respond. Kura spun around to face them. 

            "You two are gonna get us all _killed!_" She whispered fiercely to them. "What with Rui talking back to the _emperor_ and you approaching the throne unbidden..." She rubbed her face in both hands. "Great Suzaku, have you never heard of court etiquette?" She looked at her brother then at Ari. "Don't answer that..."

********************************  

END! Of that chapter anyway. ......oh geez...I feel like I should apologize about this chapter...um, I'm hopping the teddy bear bit was slightly humorous, and slightly original...I have to keep my two reviewers happy now don't I? (By the way, you guys are the BEST!!!) HEHEHE I only have two reviewers who have reviewed more than twice...do people just read one chapter then never bother to check the next ones? Oh yeah that makes me feel great...I'm gonna do a poll here...anyone who has been reading all the chapters in turn, mention it in a review...And I swear this is not a plot to make people review...I PROMISE!!! (insert wicked cackle here...)  

You know what...I really don't think im up to par tonight... too ... tired ...but ...must...find...better... name... for...Kei...you know, one of the mystery men in the middle of the chapter...AND ABOUT THOSE TWO!! Have I confused anyone with that part? (Yup yup yup) Guess what!?!? ( what's this you already guessed that they will soon each have a major part in this story...damn, I'm not very good at keeping secrets, can you tell?) NO!!! DON"T TELL THEM ANY MORE!!! MUST TURN OFF COMPUTER BEFORE GIVING AWAY ANY MAJOR SPOILERS...LIKE THE FACT THAT THERE WILL BE A LOVE INTEREST FOR KURA SOON...NOOOOOOOO I SAID DON'T TELL THEM!!!   I'm sorry, caps-lock is so much fun at times...

::FAQ:: that nobody really asks frequently... if ever...

Disclaimer: no people, I am not _on_ anything, nor drunk. I am just insane. OK? Great!

Question: (question is not quite accurate, more like R: for _request_) Please don't make the emperor a seishi... 

Answer: WHY? WOULD THAT BE TOO CLICHE FOR YOU READERS??? I'm just teasing you KT-chan, you're fun to tease! That's all, I swear, I'm not mad at you or anything, I just think that you make for great jokes...don't say anything to that, please?

To ANSWER this request, I have already come up with all the main characters so it is too late to make requests...but no the emperor is not one of Ari's warriors. But can anyone guess who he really is?? Anyone? Anyone? Oh come on people! The teddy bear! Think about the teddy bear!! (Wanderlily walks away from the computer in utter frustration...) 

No, it's not a good night for trying to write...so I'm giving up for now...I'll try again tomorrow!

                                                            ***wanderlily***       


	8. Chapter Eight

Hey! Another chapter already! Wow! It's this new computer…it calls to me. And I've wanted to write this chapter for a while. So here it is! Lucky you!!! A word, or two, of warning…spoilers galore in this chapter, so if you don't like spoilers…ignore this note anyway, because they won't make sense as spoilers unless you know what happens in the real story…did that make _any _sense? Just don't say I didn't warn ya!

This chapter is gonna be confusing, so I'll help early on. The dream Ari had two chapters ago will be continued in this chapter. And just to let you know, in case you can't figure it out from the subtle hints in the chapter, Ari is seeing what happened to the last Miko…Miaka. I know, I know, some people don't like her. She's not my favorite character either, but she was a major character, and she's not all _that_ bad, besides. Ari is seeing what _Miaka_ went through, though Miaka's eyes. _Italics_ are the dream itself. Regular type depicts scene changes and Ari's thoughts. Every time the word **she** is used, it's referring to Ari/Miaka. Remember that. It's supposed to be confusing, it's a dream! I did the broken sentences etc. on purpose so don't bash on bad sentence structure, it's poetic, artistic, dream-like! Does that help anyone?…Well, you won't know till you read it, I know. So READ already!!!  

Chapter Eight: _dreams_

A few hours after the imperial audience, this story finds its heroine lying on her bed, counting ceiling tiles. After being shown to their separate rooms, Rui and Kura both agreed that it would be best for all of them to rest up, in preparation for whatever happened next. Ari wasn't sure _what_ exactly they were resting up for, but it seemed like a good idea. If only she could get to sleep. 

So…bored…Must…fall…asleep… 

            The room she was assigned to was interesting enough. She'd spent the first hour snooping around, looking into all the drawers, peeking into closets, etc. The chamber was amazing. In the corner stood a huge armoire, exquisitely decorated with carvings of little birds. Inside, there were a number of elegant robes and dresses, seemingly unused for ages. A black lacquered chest crouched at the base of the bed, decorated in gold leaf, depicting a scene of four or five kimonoed women gathered around a pond. The bed itself was a massive, four-postered piece. Deep red curtains crowned the posts.

            The ceiling itself was another point of interest. Each tile was carved to illustrate something different; Ari suspected that, altogether, it told some kind of story. But she never had the chance to find out what that story was.

A knock at the door startled her. She swung her legs over the side of the luxurious bed, padded barefoot to the door, and slid the screen open.

Rui stared down at her for a minute without speaking. Ari smoothed her bed-ruffled hair subconsciously, wondering what he was there for.

He seemed to snap out of whatever trance he was in and asked, "Can we come in?"

_We? _Ari then realized he was not alone. Behind him stood Kura and two other men she didn't know. She nodded and moved out of the doorframe to let them in, feeling slightly disappointed. She shook away the feeling and joined the group.

"What's this about?" Ari asked Rui.

He leaned against a wall while she took a seat next to Kura on the bed. The two men stood. When she got a good look at the two strangers she recognized them as the two young men who'd followed the emperor into his private conference. One was tall, with long, dark hair pulled up. His watchful eyes were gold flecked, reminding her of the emperor himself. His friend was shorter than he, with shoulder-length, brown hair, and green eyes. Those green eyes seemed to be resting appreciatively on Kura, despite her cold demeanor. 

Rui spoke up. "This is…" He trailed off, not knowing how to address the two men. 

The tall one cleared his throat. "I am Taiyo, third son of Konan." Ari nodded respectfully to the prince.

Green-eyes introduced himself next. "And _I_ am Kei, one of the emperor's humble advisors." He kneeled before Kura, attempting to take her hand in his. She shot him a look so full of ice he abruptly turned to Ari instead. "And you are?"

Ari giggled at the look on Kura's face and answered him in kind. "My name's Ari." She had always enjoyed the game of flirting back home. Kei seemed to find it quiet thrilling as well. 

He flashed her a heart-stopping smile. "And a beautiful name, it is."

Rui's eye twitched.

Taiyo cleared his throat again. "Kei, enough. We were here for a reason, remember?"

"Ah yes. Of course." Kei stood up, suddenly all business. "We are here to speak on behalf of the Emperor. He believes that the instance of the teddy bear was not enough to prove that you are truly the Suzaku no Miko." 

Ari sighed. 

"His Majesty states that it is possible that you could have heard about the toy in the city, or else-ware even, and are trying to use that knowledge to assume the honorable position of Priestess."

Taiyo's voice was flat. "In short, he thinks you're a con." Kei looked at him, frowning, but he persisted. "In fact, he wanted to have you all thrown into the dungeons. Treason and all that." 

Rui snorted his disbelief. Kura just frowned.

Taiyo was angry. "He thinks that nothing could be wrong with _his_ empire, so he turns a blind eye on the needs of this country!" He paced across the elaborate carpets. 

Kei just shook his head. He spoke directly to Ari. "_We,_ of course, believe you. And we will continue attempting to open the royal eyes of his Highness." 

Ari watched the way Taiyo strode the length of the room: back and forth, back and forth, like a caged animal. "Well, that's nice. Do you mind if I ask why _you_ two believe me, when the rest of the court doesn't?"

Kei laughed. "Of course not." He sat down on the bed, no more than a breath's distance away from the scowling, dark-haired woman. "Pardon me, sweet." He flashed white teeth at Kura in an ardent effort to charm her. It wasn't working. She stood up and leaned against the wall next to Rui, leaving a slightly dejected imperial advisor on the bed, attempting to remove his shoe.

Ari looked down at the man's foot when she realized it was glowing. There, on the top of his foot, glowed a red character, much like the one she had seen on Rui's arm a while back. 

Ari looked into Kei's smiling green eyes. "It doesn't do that for just _anyone_, you know," he said.

Ari's gaze fell on Taiyo who stood behind Kei. On the side of his neck glowed a symbol as well. 

Of all the luck! She had found not one, but _two _more warriors. Or rather, they had found her. A grin slowly spread across her face. She turned to Rui, smirking.

"Beginner's luck, you said?" She taunted, referring to his statement on the matter earlier that day.

Rui tried to scowl back, but gave up as the laughter got the better of him. "You've got the best luck I have _ever _seen." She smiled back, wholeheartedly. 

*************************************************

 After a lengthy explanation of the legend of Suzaku, Ari was beginning to think she understood what she was in for. Hopefully, they could convince the Emperor of her authenticity and gain whatever help he could give their little troupe. Although they did not absolutely have to have his authorization to summon the beast god, it would be much easier to travel around with whatever reimbursement the royal could provide.

The warriors left her room in the late evening, shooed out by Kura who had seen the yawns Ari struggled to hide. 

And now, Ari was asleep…or dreaming to be more exact.

_ She was in the body of the person—girl, Ari had decided—from the previous dream. The dream of getting pulled into the book was still fresh in her memory as the new scene unfolded before her._

_She was in a dry wasteland, the only decoration a scrappy tree reaching for the sky. Men as scrappy as the tree surrounded her. One had a death grip on a girl with short, blond hair. She felt her body charging at the man holding her friend._

Friend?

_ She felt the blow as the slaver hit her across the face, giving her a bloody lip. He raised a hand to hit her again, but was stopped by another man. A tall, dark haired, young man with a character glowing from his forehead, to be precise. He easily broke the slaver's arm and proceeded to pummel the rest of the bandits._

The dream changed.

_It was very dark. Her leg seared with pain, but she ignored it. In the dark of the rubble, red light illuminated the face above her. It was the young man from before._

A name floated up into Ari's conscience. 

_Tamahome…_

_Tamahome was holding up an entire building, protecting her. Powerful eyes bored into her soul as he told her that no matter what happened, he would always protect her._

The world shifted.

_Rain dripped down the crumbling walls of the alleyway. Bodies littered the walkway. Tamahome stood with his back to her. She was in tears, and in the heat of those tears a confession slipped past her guard. She yelled out to him. "Can't you see I'm falling in love with you?!" _

_Crumbling at his rejection, she collapsed to the cobblestones._

The rain swept everything away.

_She stood before a reflection of herself, perfect in every detail, right down to the red ribbons in her hair. The reflection laughed at her as it walked out of the mirror and into the forest. _

_Watching the image of herself tear apart the delicate trust of the three warriors, she realized that the image was made of her own deepest, darkest thoughts. And the only way to stop the evil, the only way to save the people she cared for, was to get rid of the source. The only way…was to kill her self. So she did._

The forest faded into pain.  

_Now she was in a palace. She was in the den of the enemy. But she had to save Yui; she had to save her very best friend. In the cold of the chamber, light glinting off threatening blades and armor, she saw the blond haired girl she had been searching for._

_She ran to her friend, enveloping her in an embrace. But something wasn't right. She grabbed Yui's wrist to see the scar that spoke of a will to die and of a pain so deep, she would never understand._

The tears washed out the horror.

_Hiding behind a delicate screen, Tamahome questioned her. Why had she left him behind? He asked her. She didn't answer, afraid of what she would say. In frustration, he made her look at him. "If I'm causing you trouble, so be it! I still love you!" He kissed her as if to prove himself. _

The kiss melted away the fear.

_A dragon rose before her, causing shadows to grow in the weak light of the shrine. Yui stood before her, yelling her hatred across the darkness. Each word was a fresh wound.  _

_"You didn't come back for me! You have no idea what I went through! It's your fault I've been through hell!"_

_Yui beckoned to the man standing behind her, swathed in shadows. _

Another name came to Ari. 

_Nakago…_

And with it came fear… and anger.

_Cold blue eyes smirked as Yui told him to hurt her. He obeyed his priestess. _

Pain left nothing but a terrible feeling of betrayal in its wake.

_Safe, and confused, she watched the giant mirror before her explain why her friend had betrayed her. It told a tale of broken trust, loss, and fear. It told the tale of Yui's scars…_

The mirror fogged over.

            _She was under a tree, waiting, waiting for someone she knew would never come. He drew closer. Tamahome stood before her, promising her safety, promising her love. But he was wrong, everything was wrong. _

_She showed him the letter he had written her. He had said that he loved her. Wouldn't he remember that? And break whatever spell they had over him? _

_            He ripped the paper into a thousand pieces, eyes colder than death. His eyes told her to die._

            She fell into those cold eyes.

            _Water was everywhere around her. Cold. Deathly cold. But not as cold as her tears. Or her heart. He wouldn't leave her like this. He was waiting for her…out there in the water. They could be together in the water. She held her breath._

_            A light grew above her, then all thought faded away._

The light brought her to yet another scene.

            _Lightning flashed above the courtyard as the thunder growled at the two men below. Tamahome and Hotohori squared off, finding stable footing in the wet stones. Swords glinted in the light of the storm. Two warriors… friends… brothers…they battled. _

_Tamahome fell to the blade of his emperor. She saw him fall, cried out to him, ran to him, forgoing the warning that he would kill her. She loved him enough to let him, if it came to that._

Lightning flashed.

            _The ceremony to summon the beast god was under-way. Everything was in place, the scroll prepared, the warriors assembled, all except for one…the intruder. The imposter played his weapon, the song of shredded souls, the song of broken trust. _

_A faint whistle cut off the sound, allowing the Suzaku warriors to attack. He fled to the rooftops, running, jumping, falling… He fell into the river and the waters swept him away…_

The beast god gave them a second chance.

            _She stood before Tamahome in the light of the city. Tears burned their way into her eyes. She told him why she refused his proposal, she told him why she kept herself away. "We can't love each other any more!" She saw the pain in his eyes. She saw his heart break. And she hated herself for being the cause. _

The stars shone in the dark of the night.

            _On the boat, she heard her brother speaking to her from her own world. He told her to come home. He claimed that she would be sacrificed to Suzaku before the end. _

_            She shook her head, refusing to do what he asked. She pulled the ribbon that was her connection to her own world from her hair. She turned to Tasuki…_

Tasuki! That's him! Rui's father!

            _And told him to burn the ribbon. She watched as her only connection to her world burst into flame and the embers fall the floor._

Her link was gone.

            _In the snow, blood is black. The blood stained the virgin snow around her. Nuriko, her warrior, her friend, was on the ground, dying. He breathed his last words, telling her to never give up, no matter what. She knew he loved her, and she would never have the chance to tell him she knew…because before she could say another word, he was gone._

Tears are as black as blood in the dark of suffering. 

_            She was sheathed in ice, not breathing, her heart not daring to beat. The cold feasted on her bare skin, but she held strong, she would never give up. The bracelets at her wrists glowed, giving off the Nuriko's strength. She broke the ice, gasping in her freedom. She had proven herself. She was one step closer to summoning Suzaku._

Determination filled her heart.

            _A young boy was battling himself. An evil presence resided within him, and was using his body to wound those who he loved. In the despair of his own betrayal he took his own life to protect them. She watched Chiriko fall._

The sun was beginning to rise.

            _Yui was calling out to Seirryu, making her first wish. Yui looked on in horror as scales appeared on her legs, embedded so deeply in her skin, she could do nothing as the dragon god took her._

The dream shifted for the last time.

            _She was back home, in the real world. She summoned Suzaku, there amidst the fighting she made her wishes. She wished for Yui to be brought back to life. She wished for the dragon god to be sealed away once more. And she wished for Tamahome…_

_            He stood before her…but different. He was not Tamahome, no he was Taka…and he carried her ring still…The ring on his finger glinted in the sunlight. They were finally together._

_            A voice spoke to Ari in the final moments of the dream. "This is the story of the previous Suzaku no Miko, Miaka. Learn from her mistakes, and recognize her strength of heart, for the time will come when you, Ari, will be called upon to do great deeds as well…"_

Ari sat up in bed with a jolt. Breathing raggedly, she tried to regain her composer. The dream had rattled her nerves, leaving her hands shaking like leaves. She ran a hand through her hair as she stabilized herself. _That voice…_

            Looking around the room, she calmed in the golden light of the dawn. She didn't realize that she wasn't alone until the intruder spoke, gravelly voice echoing through the shadows, the same voice as the dream…

            "Why are you here, Hikari?"   

_****************************************_

AN: Cliffy! Yay! I haven't had one of those for a while! But I already know what will happen in the next chapter, heck I've got the rest of the story planned out, I just need to type it… easier said than done, ne?

I think I've said all there is to say

…write me back and tell me what you think, okay?

…Of late, only one or two take the time to review 

…And I have to admit to feeling a little blue

Boo hoo, hoo hoo, hoo hoo, hoo hoo.

…So click on the little box below

…And maybe then I won't feel so low

…Rhyming really is almost as fun

…As making up an annoying pun

…Right now, I think I'll take my leave

…Before I make anyone heave… 

_Kura walks in_

Wanderlily: … Hi Kura…what are you doing with my rhyming dictionary? …Wait! No! Don't you dare! Not the paper shredder! NOOOOOO!!!

            _Bbbzzzzzzzzzzttttttt._

            Kura: That's all folks! 

 

                                                ***wanderlily***


	9. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

"Why are you _here_, Hikari?"

Startled, Ari looked up into twinkling eyes sunken into wrinkles of skin. Fold upon fold warped the delicacies of the normal facial structure. On her bed, legs crossed, sat a _very_ old creature, neither male nor female in form, but seemingly feminine in dress, no self respecting man would wear the floating ribbons this creature seemed to pride herself in. The intruder scowled at the gaping young woman. Ari screamed.    

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH! "

Ari flung her legs out from under the covers and stumbled onto the floor. She ran to the door, not caring that she was dressed only in a nightshirt. 

The woman, back still turned, held out her hand.

The screen slammed shut as the air around it rippled. Ari stopped up short of the screen and turned to face the thing on the bed.

"W-what do you want from me?" 

The woman turned to face Ari with an annoyed expression on her face. "Stupid girl. I asked you a question, and I want an answer." 

Ari scowled. "What was the question again?"

"Of all the insolent…" The old creature muttered. "I said, 'Why are you here, Hikari?'"

"First of all, I'm Ari. Not Hikari, just Ari. I have no idea where you got that name."

The creature cocked an eyebrow that appeared to be painted on. "Yes, I know that you are named Ari. But _what_ you are is Hikari. You are light. Now why are you here?" She demanded.

"What do you mean I'm _light_? What are you talking about?" Ari starred hard at the crone sitting on her bed, but the only answer she got was a purse of the lips and a frown of the eyes. "I'm here because this is the room the palace people gave me."

"Not, why are you here. Why are you _here?_ Why are you not in your world, in your own time, back at the library, _shelving books_?" Ari heard a tinge of urgency to what she was hearing.

"…I…I don't know." 

"You _don't know_?" The woman violently shook her ancient head in frustration. 

"Listen. I don't understand who you are, or how you know where I used to work—"

In irritation, the crone's hand pointed to a full-length mirror that stood against the wall opposite the bed. The glass shattered. Ari gaped as the shards hit the floor, then rose into the air, spiraling around and around. The glass reformed into what seemed to be another mirror. The mirror clouded over, then cleared to reveal scenes from Ari's life. She watched the mirror, spellbound.

The crone spoke in a low, gravel-toned voice.

"I see _all_." 

The words were so simple, but so entirely potent in meaning. Ari gulped as the woman continued.

"You are not supposed to be here. This country is stable, thanks to the efforts and lives of the former Miko and Her warriors. There really is no need of you here."

Ari leaned her back against the closed screen, her arms folded across her chest. "So I'm told."

The woman made a gesture of impatience with her right hand. Ari felt her throat freeze up, effectively silencing her.

"Be silent, you insolent girl! I don't need your cheek! Truly, there is no need of you. And yet, here you are…with more than half your warriors assembled already! I don't understand…" She shook her ancient head once more.

Ari was making gurgling noises, trying to speak. 

The woman took the silence off her and snapped, "_What?_"

"Who _are_ you?"

The crone stared hard at her. "Didn't I tell you?"

Ari, wide eyed, shook her head slowly.

"I am Tai-itsukun, Emperor of Heaven, and Oracle of Daikyokuzan Mountain."

"Ah, of course." Ari nodded slightly, as if she had a clue what the crone was talking about. 

Tai-itsukun narrowed her eyes, but didn't comment. It was then they both heard the pounding on the door. 

The old one waved her hand; the door slid open, and in tumbled Rui. He was quickly followed by the rest of Ari's warriors, all in similar forms of disarray. 

Rui was on his feet in a heartbeat. He saw the intruder and started toward her, anger reflecting in his eyes.

Ari put out her arms and stopped him mid-stride. "No," she whispered to him. "She's a friend…I think." He looked at her doubtfully, but didn't move further.

"You presume much to say I am a friend, but I am no enemy." The woman floated off the bed as the large mirror behind her disappeared. 

Ari spoke to Rui. "She was saying the same thing the emperor was, that I'm not supposed to _be_ here…there must have been some mistake…"

"Oh, there was no mistake, you can be sure of that. Suzaku does not _make_ mistakes. I just don't know why He brought you here…He seems to have left me in the dark on the matter." She was hovering in the air before the group of wide-eyed warriors.

Ari stepped forward, one hand slightly reaching out. "So…couldn't you just send me home again? I mean, if there's nothing for me to do here…" Even though she tried, she couldn't keep the hope out of her voice. Rui looked down at her with something in his eyes…Ari turned to Tai-itsukun, pretending not to see.

The crone was silent for a moment brow furrowed in thought. She frowned. "No. There is no way to send you back. You have been here too long for you to go back by yourself…and you have no connection to your own world, so _I_ cannot send you back…"

"What do you mean by no _connection_?" Ari asked her, puzzled. 

"There is nothing '_identical here as there_'. Nor have you anyone on the other side with a strong will and deep, intensely shared feelings. You have no one to pull you back to your own world."

Ari frowned, depressed. She was right. There was her family, but they never seemed to share many intense feelings…and her friends weren't that close to her; she seemed to have drifted apart from her best friend, as well. All in all, her situation left her out of options.

"Therefore, you have no connection from this world to your own." 

"So, I'm stuck here?" Ari felt like she was drowning…

"Not necessarily, if you _do_ summon Suzaku, you can simply _wish_ yourself home." The woman's gravelly voice was a ray of hope.     

Ari's heart rose. "Really?"

The woman gave her a look; Ari shut up.

"So, that's settled. Now all we need is the Emperor to open his stubborn eyes and see it _my_ way." The crone cackled as she snapped her fingers.

Ari, Rui, Kura, Taiyo, and Kei all disappeared from her room, then reappeared in the Emperor's chambers. He was still asleep, the curtains muffling the sounds of his snores.

Tai-itsukun waved the curtains aside, letting the sunlight prepare the Emperor for the assault.  

"Boushin!!! WAKE UP!!!" Her voice reverberated throughout the room, as the onlookers' eyes went wide in shock.

The emperor sat up in alarm. "What!! Who!!" He got a good look at the woman floating in front of him. "AAAAHHHH!!!!"

Tai-itsukun frowned. "Stop that. I've come to discuss this whole Suzaku no Miko issue."

The emperor uncovered his eyes. "_What_ about the traitor?"

Ari yelled, surprising herself with her own audacity. "I'm no traitor!!!"

Taiyo spoke up as well. "Father, she is the true Suzaku no Miko and you know it…Stop being stubborn and accept the truth!" 

Everyone held they're breath, waiting to see the reaction of the emperor at being berated by his own son. The man formerly called Boushin was turning quiet red in the face.

Tai-itsukun spoke before allowing him time to get any angrier. "Boushin! Stop this foolishness! You have my word that she is genuine. Now, as emperor, you must formerly proclaim that she is the Suzaku no Miko. "

He just frowned his royal eyes.

"Boushin…" There was warning in her voice.

"I have no audience to make a proclamation _to_." He stated in his defense. 

The crone waved her hand and they were in the throne room, surrounded by royal retainers and servants, all heavy-eyed from sleep.

"Now, Boushin!!!"

He reluctantly cleared his throat and stood before his court. He pointed an arm towards Ari and spoke for all to hear. "This woman who stands before you shall obtain the power of Suzaku. Her eminence, the Suzaku no Miko, she who stands before you, shall become the savior of this country!"

"Well done, Boushin." Tai-itsukun nodded.

"And stop _calling_ me that!" He turned heal and stalked back to the royal bedchambers, leaving Ari's group alone in the suddenly empty hall.

Ari looked around, wondering where all the people went.

"Sent 'em back to bed." The floating woman answered her unspoken question.

"Oh."

"Now, if you'll excuse us, I must speak privately with the Priestess." She glared until all the warriors left the room. Ari sat on the edge of the podium while the old woman floated before her.

"Well, now that's out of the way!" Tai-itsukun said rather smugly. 

"All that fuss…" Ari started to say.

"It'll be worth it. Besides, it would have been difficult to take Taiyo along without his father's permission, and not to mention the issue of funding…"

"Take Taiyo along…? Where exactly are we going?"

"To search for the other warriors, of course."

"Right." Ari looked down as she swung her feet over the edge, generally feeling foolish.

Tai-itsukun squinted her beady eyes. "So…from here on out, you will be doing much traveling with your warriors. First you must find the final three, then you must search for the Shinzaho in order to summon the beast god, Suzaku."

"What's a Shinzaho?" She thought back to what had been told to her of her task. "I've never heard anyone mention it before…"

"The Shinzaho are sacred treasures that can be used in the summoning. In the past they were not needed to summon Suzaku, but in the last summoning, the Scroll of the Universe of the Four Gods was destroyed. That leaves you no choice but to search for the two treasures."

"Where are they?"

"One is hidden in the bandit mountain of Reikaku, the other resides amidst the great northern rivers of this country. You must bring both together, or face utter failure. I do not recommend failing if you wish to return home. You are allowed only three wishes, so use them wisely. Seemingly, there is no need for you to save this country, so don't worry about that." 

"Anything else?"

"One last thing. As the Priestess of Suzaku, you must remain pure… that means no… _fooling around_ with anyone." The crone gave Ari the once over. "However, I'm sure you will have no real trouble with that."

Ari's jaw dropped. "What's that supposed to mean?!?" she yelled, outraged.

The woman cackled and started to disappear into a blinding light. Ari felt something heavy drop onto the base of her throat and looked down at the necklace that rested there. A gold chain boasted a charm at the end. It was in the shape of a great bird, made of a dark red stone she couldn't identify. The charm seemed to contain a glow, and was surprisingly warm to the touch. She let it fall under the folds of her shirt when she heard Tai-itsukun's parting words.

"That is the Light of Suzaku. Guard it well, Hikari. If you run out of options, use it."

"What do you mean, _use _it? What is it?" she called out to the empty room, not getting an answer. Ari sighed, disgruntled at the crone's riddles. She stood and walked off the podium to go find the others. 

**************************************************

"What do you mean, you have to remain _pure!?!_" Kei asked her, a mixture of horror and grief in his eyes.

They were back in Ari's room, having a leisurely breakfast together. Ari was laughing at the look on Kei's face at the mention of her forced abstinence.  

"Hey, it's never proved to be such a burden before now. So no worries." She just shrugged her shoulders and continued to eat. Her chopstick skills had improved greatly, and now she only dropped her food every so often.

"But…But…" 

"Just let it go Kei," advised the prince. 

Kei shook his head tragically. "T'is a cruel, cruel world…" 

Ari grinned. "It's not like _you_ have to stay pure. " She pointed her chopsticks in his direction, emphasizing her point.

"But this takes you off my list of _options_, you see," he teased her.

Rui glared menacingly from his end of the table.

Kei caught the end of the meaningful stare."_What_? It's not like _you_ can have her, either." Kei stated flatly.

Rui flushed crimson. "That's not…what it's about…" 

Kei looked sideways at Kura. "Well, if that's the case, how about you're sister?" 

Kura blanched and Ari decided to intervene before things got out of hand. "Enough you, that's not the only thing the old hag informed me of. We have to find two treasure thingies, one in the mountains, the other by the northern rivers. And she gave me this…" She held up the necklace for her warriors to see. The bird spun around on the chain, causing flashes of light to dance across the wings. 

The group all looked closely at it. "It's Suzaku…" breathed Taiyo.

"Huh?" Ari stopped the charm's spinning and put the chain back around her neck.

"Suzaku, the god that protects this country. The god you are a Priestess of."

"But it's a bird…"

"It is _Suzaku_," he replied simply, answering all possible questions.

"Hmm." She stated, raising her eyebrows but dropping the subject. Discussions on theology would go nowhere in this world. 

"If we're gonna head out today, we should pack now." Kura was standing up, motioning for the servants outside the door to clean up the meal.

"Of course," agreed Kei, standing up as well. They all got up and left the room. Rui refused to meet Ari's eyes.

Once her room was empty, Ari sighed and flopped facedown onto her bed. Rolling onto her back, she held the necklace above her, in the light. She twirled it around, watching the glow in the stone shift. 

_What's this for? And I'm supposed to protect it? I can't even protect myself. _

She rolled off the bed and kicked her pack out from the shadows under it.

_Time to pack. Let's see…it's not like I have much here anyway…_

 She pulled her old clothes out of the bottom of the chest and placed them in the bag. She also slipped in a couple of the robes that sat in the closet gathering dust. She looked around the room, double-checking that she wasn't forgetting anything. Then Ari saw the red sash lying on the floor. She'd hung it on the mirror last night and it had fallen harmlessly to the carpets while that Tai-itsukun had…well, _played_ with her mirror. 

Ari picked up the red silk from the ground.

_I should give it back to him…_

Ari walked out of her room and into the hallway. She wandered down the passage until she came to the room that was given to Rui. She rapped lightly on the door.

"Come on in," she heard him call.

She slid the door open and slipped inside. Ari looked around the room, not seeing him. Rui's room was almost as decked out as her own, albeit there was less red. 

"Found it!"

She looked down by the bed in time to see Rui crawling out from under it, his pack in a closed fist. She couldn't help but chuckle.

Surprised, he looked up in time to see her laughing at him.

"Ari…" He got up off the ground and dusted off his pants. "Your Eminence…"

"Oh, stop that Rui." She frowned at the title.

"Sorry," he frowned too. "It's just this whole palace deal, it gets me off guard…" He plopped the bag onto the bed and pulled it open. "You done packing?"

"Yup." Ari walked over to stand next to him. "I was finishing up when I remembered this." She held out the red sash he had loaned her when they'd first met. "Here," She motioned for him to take it. "Looks kinda valuable." 

He took the length of fabric from her and looked silently down at it for a moment. "It was my mother's…" he said quietly.

Ari blinked. "Then why'd you give it to me, if it's so important to you?"

"It is important to me…and… that's why I want you to keep it." He handed it back to her, returning to his pack.

"Rui…" she sighed. He was being disagreeable again. She quietly placed the sash in his bag. "I can't just _take_ something that valuable." 

He grabbed her hand, stopping her. "No, Ari… I want you to keep it safe for me…"

Having heard that line once already that day, she scowled. "What's that mean?"

Not answering her, Rui placed the fabric back in her hand and closed her fingers around it. 

Ari looked up to see him no more than a heartbeat away from her. He was looking down at they're hands tangled in the red silk. Then he met her eyes. 

Reveling in his closeness, Ari took in the sight of him. His dark eyes were made to be lost in, _drowned_ in. He shifted closer, gaze intent upon her lips. Ari lifted her chin and let her eyes drift shut, anticipation sending a shiver down her spine. 

Rui froze, no more than half an inch away from her mouth, when he realized what it was he was about to do. He looked at her expectantly closed eyes, and pulled back. 

He patted her hands, still clutching the sash. 

"Keep it safe…" Ari heard him murmur as she opened her eyes, disappointed. She watched silently as he pulled the ties of the pack shut with a practiced tug, shouldered the bag, and walked out of the room.

*******************************************

   Authoress' Note: NOOOOOOOO!!! Rui you idiot! You NEVER EVER leave a girl hanging like that!! Never!!! 

To tell you the truth I was beginning to wonder if I should change the genre from action/adventure/romance and just get rid of the romance part…there sure hasn't been much in this story so far…But then I remembered the sash thingy and was inspired. I've never done a kissing scene so I guess you could say I chickened out as much as our boy Rui did here. Sorry about that. 

I'm having a blast writing about Kei, I must say. He's just so much fun to play with, you know…I have to come up with some more parts for Taiyo though, since he's gonna have a big part in the end…yes, yes, I have the ending all planned out already. Is that a bad thing? Hope not…

Ummmm…KT-chan, about the teddy bear part thingy, I didn't know about it being chopped up, although it sounds faintly familiar, so just pretend that they sewed it back together for baby Boushin, Okee dokee?  And yes, the emperor is old in this world, I did the math and he would have to be about…38 to 40 for the rest of the people's ages to work out…sounds young? Considering that in the summery it mentions this taking place 50 years after Miaka…so I'll just say _almost_ 50 years…maybe like 40…okay just pretend that you can't do math like I can't and it'll all work out okay!

_Enter Rui, stage right._

Rui: Wanderlily, I have a question for you.

Wanderlily: Ask away, oh redheaded one, son-of-the-one-and-only-Tasuki!

Rui: …riiiiight. My question was, if I'm Tasuki's son, and Taiyo is Hotohori's _grandson…_ how exactly does that work out?

Wanderlily: ….(O.O) ….Oh crap!   ummmm…..I told you, I can't do simple math! Just ignore it and get off my case!

No actually, I did take the time to figure out that question…and here's the answer!

AGE CHART!!!!

Ari:

-     age 17

Rui: 

- age 18

- 13 when taken by bandits

- 1 when his father left 

Kura:

- age 20

- 15 when separated from Rui

- 3 when father left

***Tasuki***

- age 17 when he first met Miaka

- 31 when he met Shin'ya

- 34 when Kura was born

- 36 when Rui was born

(so basically, Tasuki was old…end of story.)

Kei:

- age 19

Taiyo:

- age 19

***Hotohori***

- age 18 when he first met Miaka

- late 19's- early 20's when his son, Boushin, was born to Houki

- 20 when he died. (WAAAHHH!!)

***Boushin/ Current Emperor***

- age 38

- between 17 and 19 when Taiyo was born

(so basically, Boushin was young when he fathered his son, when Tasuki was old, OK?) (he wasn't _that_ old, is he?)

I hope that detours any more questions on the matter, even though there haven't been any yet…I was prepared for once! Yay! Do I get a cookie?

One more thing, you're all welcome to e-mail me if you want to talk more, the reviews must have a limit somewhere…don't they? 

Happy Reading!

                                    ***wanderlily***


	10. Chapter Ten

And we're back! KT-chan, to answer your question about why Tai-itsukun insulted Ari in the last chapter, no it's not because she lacks a desirable figure, she's normal in that department. But as a humble authoress, I can't claim I truly understand the ways of the Wise Woman of Whatchyamacallit (sound it out) Mountain. She said it because it looked funny for her to say it at the time I wrote it…is that good enough for you? (probably not…but that's okay) Thanks for your killer reviews. And to Pseudomask, you who have been faithful since I started this series. Don't worry about KT getting jealous over there, I STILL NEED YOUR REVIEWS! I wuv you all, and now I'll let you read the story.

Chapter Ten

            The sun was high in the sky, the packing was done, and everyone was eager for this journey to get under way. The emperor had grudgingly provided them with horses, supplies, and money for their trip. There was only one, _little_ problem.

            Ari still couldn't ride a horse.

            And there is no way in HELL that I'm riding with Rui again. Oh, no. Don't think so. Defiantly not after what happened this morning. 

Ari wasn't sure whether to be angry with him…or relieved. The whole situation was _his_ fault…so she had every right to be angry, didn't she? But she just plain couldn't explain the feeling of relief. Was it the fact that he _hadn't_ kissed her that made her feel this way? Or maybe it was something else? Maybe the fact that he'd actually brought the subject up…in a rather unexpected kind of way…

It was all very confusing. The fact that she hadn't exactly put up much of a struggle conveniently slipped her mind. Not to mention, the feeling of his hands entwined with hers in the silk still slipped past her guard every once in a while…

            _Focus Ari. Who can you ride with?_

            She looked around her. 

            _Not a good idea to ride with Kei, he's funny, but that doesn't cover for the fact that he's a letch. And Kura…well, Kura looks occupied enough trying to discourage Kei…That leaves the prince…_

She wandered over to him, trying very hard to ignore the way Rui watched her. Taiyo was securing the packs onto the regal-looking, black stallion he was riding. His hair was tied back severely, revealing sharp features. (Taiyo's features… not the horse's.)

            Ari folded her hands behind her back. "Taiyo?" 

He turned around, raising winged brows in question. She felt very small under his gaze; the Suzaku no Hikari weighed heavily on her collarbone.

"Could I ride with you? I ummm… happen to…well, basically, I can't ride. And this would give me a chance to get to know you." She smiled brightly, covering for her nerves. She felt stupid asking the tall man to let her ride double with him.

"Of course, your Eminence." He smiled gently down at her, acknowledging her awkwardness and at the same time putting her nerves to rest. She thought that it was too bad that he wasn't likely to inherit the throne. That kind of empathy would serve a country well… "Please call me Ari. The title makes me feel like I'm someone else."

"Of course, Ari." He folded his hands together, making a step to help her mount the tall horse. She scrambled on, as gracefully as she could manage. 

Taiyo swung up behind her, and the others followed suit. They walked out the heavy wooden doors of the courtyard, one horse following the other.  

She asked Taiyo what their horse was named.

"Kage." _Shadow._

He looked back at Rui, who was sulking at the end of the procession. "I hope you don't mind my asking, but why didn't you ride with Rui? He looks slightly upset."

She looked down at Kage's mane and remained silent.

"Did you argue?" Taiyo's voice was kind, not probing, as she'd feared. 

"No." 

He also retained a thoughtful silence. 

"He tried to kiss me." She thought for a moment then added. "No, that's unfair. I would have let him kiss me, but he didn't. And I'm not sure why…"

"I didn't know you two were like that."

Ari laughed a humorless laugh. "Neither did I." 

"Ah." That's all he said on the subject, and she was grateful for his lack of judgment. She got enough of that from herself. 

They rode in silence, the sounds of Kei's shameless efforts to charm Kura heard in the background.   

After a moment, he spoke again. "I hate to say it, but I don't have much advice to give you on the subject. I can't say I've ever been in love."

Ari glared at him, not believing she had mentioned anything about love. "Who said I was in—What?" The meaning of the sentence hit her square in the face. "_You've_ never been in love? _You?_" 

He shook his head, a smile playing across his face.

"But…_you're… you…_" 

" And that is exactly the reason why. I'm myself. It's the fate of royalty to suffer a loveless life. It probably doesn't help that I don't exactly believe in love in the first place..."

"That's terrible! How can you not believe in love? Don't you get lonely?"

He laughed outright. "Please don't misunderstand me, there are women…but there has been, and always will be, a certain lack of emotional…connectedness… this is not really an appropriate topic of discussion." He smiled at the sound of Kei's pursuits behind them. "I have Kei's friendship. That's enough for me. There will be some arranged marriage in my future, to be sure. But for political alliance, not love. Thus is the world _I _live in."

"That's sad. I'm sorry it has to be that way."

"To tell you the truth, I'm not all that sorry myself. It leaves me free of the hindering emotions and awkwardness you seem to be experiencing."

_Awkwardness, that's a good word for it. _"But love's supposed to be wonderful." Ari stared ahead, lost in thought. "It's about random feelings of pure joy. It's remembering the exact way someone smells or sounds. It's about finding someone who makes you feel solid, real, _alive_." She blushed, realizing what she was saying. "Or, that's what I hear…"

He smiled down at the back of her head, marveling at the emotions the girl, no, young woman, kept hidden deep within herself. 

"Well then, I hope you find that someone that can make you feel alive," he said helpfully.

She thought before responding, "It's not the finding that I'm worried about. I'm afraid that I'll mess it up some other way…" Ari trailed off, speaking more to herself than to Taiyo, then she responded in a more polite fashion. "I hope you find that someone, too." 

She felt him shake his head. "I'm happy enough without complications."

"Well," Ari said as she shrugged her shoulders. "I guess each person has to pick their own way of living, don't they?" She chuckled. "You know what? I'd have never, not even in my wildest dreams, thought that one day, I'd be riding a horse with a real, live _prince_, marching off to Suzaku knows what fate, and talking about the nature of _love,_ of all things…" She laughed at the bizarre situation, and he laughed as well. 

"I hope you know," His voice abruptly became serious.  "If you ever need someone to talk to, I have a good ear." He offered his words quietly, in an unsubstantial tone. But Ari recognized the support for what it was, and smiled up at him. 

"Thank you." 

For the remainder of their ride they spoke of menial things, such as the life of a prince, their destination, the price of kumquats in Konnan, etc. It was a rather pleasant ride, all in all. It was, that is, until they reached the first town they were to stop in. That was when things started to go wrong.

******************************************   

            The small city they had reached was, in short, a harbor-town. Life as the people knew it revolved around the boats and the reservoir. Ari asked Taiyo about the stretch of water. In response he told her that it was simply the basin that resided at the end of the great river. The waterway ran to the east and soon joined with what was know as the Seiryu River, from there emptying out into the ocean. 

This river was seemingly the fastest trade route to the eastern country and thus home to a great many people. Kuto, the gathered country of the east, had remained uncharacteristically quiet for the past twenty years or so. The citizens of the Dragon nation had their hands full picking up the pieces of the last reign. They relied on Konan for trade, among other things. 

All in all, the port was a good place to start the search for the remaining warriors.  

Ari's group walked the horses slowly through the crowded streets. The sides of the road were lined with stalls, and manned by sellers shouting their wares. Due to the lack of space almost as much as for protection, the others surrounded Ari and Taiyo. 

In front of Kage rode Kura, her hood up in disguise. To Ari's right rode Kei, who spoke to the Taiyo in hushed tones. And to her right, Rui rode quietly. 

He hadn't so much as mentioned the _kiss-that-wasn't_, acting as though nothing had happened. Ari decided that if that was the way it was going to be, she'd just forget the awkward moment had even come to pass. 

Easier said than done. The red sash she kept tied around her waist was a constant companion and souvenir. But as always, Ari just continued to remind herself that she had rather more important things to worry about.

Their group had trodden through the masses until they reached a low building. Beyond the heavy gate, she could see the mudstone packed tight against wooden support beams, and the whitewashed walls created a clean appearance. Kura had dismounted once they were past the main gate and momentarily stopped in the courtyard of the inn. She had her hood down and seemed to be in a heated discussion with one of the servants of the house. Ari could only catch snippets of the conversation.

Kura was saying, "… idiot! …fetch Ojisan … instant!… get her … the streets … before she's seen. … now!" 

The poor servant seemed to be apologizing loosely, trying to keep Kura calm without actually following her orders. He stared at her clothing and was not about to let this bizarre woman and her travelers into the inn. Before long, an old man hobbled out of the wooden paned door, at which Kura shoved the servant aside and shouted, "Ojisan!"

She ran to him and, forgetting all decorum, enveloped the delicate looking man in a hug. He squeezed her back and soon, 'Ojisan' ushered the group inside the inn, instructing them to leave the horses to the stable hands. When the befuddled servant started to object, the man shooed him away with both hands and just smiled up at Kura in obvious delight. 

He was almost a foot shorter than Kura, bent over a stilted support cane. Silver hair was tied loosely at the nape of his neck, and beady eyes twinkled as the man led his guests into the house. The warriors were ushered into the main room and motioned to sit on the cushions littering the floor.  

Ojisan soon joined them, seating himself very slowly. Ari thought she could almost hear the creaks of his old bones. He caught her eye and smiled. 

"I see you are the Suzaku no Miko herself." He bowed from his waist. 

Ari blinked. "Yes." _How'd he know?_

"Ari, everyone, this is Ojisan. He harbored me after I was separated from Rui. I grew up under his care." Kura smiled brilliantly. She'd obviously missed the father figure.

Ojisan smiled back. "Kura! It's been a long time since I sent you out to find your destiny, and what do you bring back to me? A tumble of misfits!" He laughed heartily. "Ah, but where are my manners? As my Kura's newfound family, and not to mention the fabled Suzaku Seishi, you are welcome in my humble lodgings for as long as you please."

Taiyo took over. "Our thanks, Ojisan. We'll be certain not to overstay our welcome. We'll just search the city for any other warriors, replenish our supplies, and be on our way." He bowed to the old man, who nodded in return.

Ojisan rose from his seat, brushing away the servant who tried to help him up. "As I'm sure you are all tired from your travels, I'll allow you to be shown to your rooms to rest up." He bowed once more to Ari, and hobbled out of the room, only to be replaced be servants who led them each to their respective rooms.

Ari's room was crisp and clean. Fresh, white screens lined the walls; a futon crouched on a corner of the floor. The wax paper window looked out into the beautiful gardens of the inn. She leaned her back against the open casement and looked longingly at the bed. She was willing to bet that she'd be asleep before she got across the room.

*****************************

(Rui's POV)

_Okay. I should definitely go apologize to her. No getting around it. _

Rui sat Indian style in the middle of his room, arguing with himself.

But she hasn't mentioned anything about it. If I bring it up she might remember that she's mad at me and that wouldn't be good. We're supposed to be a team. That means keeping the petty arguments to a minimum.

He held his jaw in one hand, resting on a folded knee. Unconsciously, he bit his lower lip in concentration.

But if I don't apologize to her and she's already upset at me, then that's not going to make matters any better, if anything she'll get even madder because I never apologized.

He sat up and viciously ran both hands through his unruly hair. 

This is no good. No matter what I do, she's gonna be mad at me. Shoulda known better than to get involved with a girl. And besides, if she's upset someone will figure it out and go calm her down…Like Kura. Yeah, Kura will make her feel better. She's good at that.

Rui heard feet thumping down the hall outside his room.

"I'VE MISSED YOU USHI-CHAN!!" (***japanese-english dictionary says! Ushi-chan means Little Cow!***)

Rui slid open the door, and looked out to see who was making all the noise. He smiled when he saw Kura hugging the life out of a black and white dog. He shook his head and closed the screen again. Kura was busy reuniting herself with her home of the past five years that she so obviously missed. Rui couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy. While he'd been a slave to forest bandits, she had found herself another home. But then he pushed the thought away in disgust. He couldn't begrudge his sister her own  happiness. 

So, maybe Kura's too busy to keep Ari company, but I'm sure one of the others will.

The thought of Ari riding with Taiyo came to mind and Rui frowned. Then he thought of how Kei would comfort her, and sprang to his feet and practically flew out of his room.

Fine! I'll apologize!

He walked down the hall until he found a servant to tell him where the Suzaku no Miko was being kept, and was directed to the end of the corridor. The man gave Rui a sly look, but he ignored it and walked away. He ran through what he was going to say in his head.

Hi Ari, I'm sorry I tried to kiss you. Will you ever forgive me? 

…Ari, I didn't mean to almost kiss you this morning, it just kinda happened.

…I know what you're going to say, but I'm really not such a jerk as to try to kiss you, so I'm sorry that this morning got out of hand.

…Ari please, please, please, don't be mad at me for this morning.

…It was all a misunderstanding, really!

…Ari! Why do you make me want to kiss you so damn much!?!

He froze mid-step, cringing.

Not that one. Definitely not that one.

Before he knew it, the door loomed up in front of him. He knocked lightly at the closed screen.

Nothing.

He knocked again. "Ari? Ari, are you in there? It's me, Rui. Can we talk?" 

She didn't answer but he could hear someone moving around inside.

…She must be really mad at me to not even open the door…

"Ari, look I know you must be angry at me, but I came here to apologize…" He felt like an idiot, talking to the screen.

Still nothing, but someone was definitely moving around in there, rather clumsily too… It sounded like she just kicked something over!

"Come on Ari! Just hear me out okay?"

He listened again, and could barely make out a muffled whimper.

Oh Great Suzaku, she's crying!

 "Ari, I wanted to say that I was sorry for what happened this morning…because, well, because I am sorry…"

The room was silent now…he leaned his ear against the screen, but he couldn't even hear her breathing…

"Ari? Are you listening to me?"

Nothing.

"Ari? Are you even in there?"

Still nothing. By the sounds of it, the room was empty.

"Ari! I'm opening the door!"

He slid open the panel to find an empty room. 

Scratch that. He slid open the door to find a ransacked, empty room.

"Oh shit! ARI!!!"

********************************

Authoress's Note: Oh yes! Another cliffhanger! Ari's been kidnapped! And NO SHE HASN'T BEEN KIDNAPPED BY CHICHIRI, OR KUTO SPYS. Sheesh. I'm not that unoriginal.

I'm curious. Since I don't know enough about the end of Fushigi Yugi, I'm gonna have to ask you reviewers. If Chichiri were alive forty years after the series, according to the story, would he still have his mask to cover his scar? Or did he use Mitsukake's magic water to heal himself? So I guess the question would be, did Chichiri eventually forgive himself for the deaths of his friend and fiancé? I can't say that I know, so I'd love it if you's peoples let me know. OK? And in return, I'll hurry up and figure out how to write the next chapter. I had real trouble getting this one out. I've been so busy with my grandmother in town, so it's taken awhile. But I'll post it on my self appointed deadline! YAY! I have to go work at the library now. (Everybody hope I get swallowed by a book for me! XD  )

R. O. D.  (review or die)                  ***wanderlily***


	11. Chapter Eleven

Disclaimer: I'm not worthy!

Chapter 11

            _Rui, you idiot! You moron! You…You…There isn't a word bad enough for you!_     

Ari was not a happy camper. Waking up to realize that your hands were tied behind your back and a gag had been stuffed into your mouth will do that to a girl.

_He just stood there and let me get kidnapped! While he was talking to the SCREEN!!! Damn it Rui! You are soooo in trouble when I get myself outa this mess…_

Ari looked around at her new habitat. It was dark. A lot of dark. No windows to climb out of. No air vents to slip through. No escape.

_Although when you think about it…it was kinda nice of him to apologize…Wait…He was apologizing for almost kissing me. I want him to apologize for NOT kissing me! Rui, you are such an idiot! _

She was laying in what seemed to be a pile of straw. It smelled like straw, at least. Ari rolled onto her back, then regretted it, crushing her hands underneath her. She sat up.

_I'll have to bitch him out when I get outa this broom closet._

As soon as she thought it, she realized it was true. She was in an empty closet, or storage room of some sort. Instead of holding brooms, it stored hay. 

            _First things first, though._

She tugged on the ropes that kept her hands behind her back. The coarse fibers didn't give. _So much for that idea._

Last resorts are never pleasant, but they are convenient. Ari stood on the solid dirt-pack of the floor and crouched down low. She wriggled until she got her hands under her rear, and from there behind her knees. She shifted her legs, rather painfully because they were so long, through the circle of her arms and stood up again, this time with her bound hands in front of her. 

            _Can't very well sock anyone with my hands behind my back…_

She looked around the room once more, as she removed her gag. Not seeing anything that would be of any good defense, she stepped up to the door. It was old and splintered wood. She doubted the neat and tidy Ojisan would keep a door like this in his inn. _Toto, I don't think we're in Ojisan's anymore…_

            She pushed on the door, not surprised that it didn't budge. She pulled on the edges, but it didn't give way. She thought about ramming the wood with her shoulder, like she'd seen in the movies. Then she wondered if it would be such a good idea to alert her kidnapper that she was conscious, and discarded the plan. Yelling for help went out for much the same reason. 

            _I'm running out of options here._

She put her ear to the door and listened. At first she couldn't hear anything over the beating of her own heart…then, faintly, she heard something outside the door. She strained to make out the sound. It was almost like a whispering…she heard a step, and a whiny…there was at least one horse nearby. Her hopes rose. Perhaps she was only in Ojisan's stables …but that still didn't answer the question of who had kidnapped her…not to mention who'd be stupid enough to keep her hidden so close to her warriors? No, she doubted she was still at the inn.

            The sounds stopped. Nothing made it to her ears outside the silence of the empty broom closet. Ari turned her back to the door, head rolling back on her neck to rest against the wood as she tried to gather her thoughts.

            _Okay, here's the plan. When Mr. Bad Guy lets me out of this room to pee or something, I'll hit him where it hurts, run out and grab the horse, then ride back to Ojisan's. No problem, no worries. _

_What if he doesn't let me out to pee? _

_What if he doesn't even feed me?_

_What if I do get out, then can't ride the stupid horse anyway?_

_What if I rot in this little cabinet for the rest of my life?!? _

_            Rui, you are **so** dead._

            Ari heard noises on the other side of the door again. Steps. Someone was walking towards the door. This was her chance. She moved back and into the corner, so when the door swung open, she would be hidden behind the panel.

            More noise. The scraping of wood against wood. Someone was lifting the latch on the door.

            _This is it._

            The door opened, light blazing into the room, making Ari blink as little fireworks went off before her eyes. Then a shadow blocked the light and she charged. She swung herself around the door with her bound hands, and at the same time aimed a strategic kick below the waist. 

            The shadow was so quick that it actually caught her ankle, mid-air, and pulled her off her feet. Before she could even blink, she was back in the pile of straw.  She rolled herself up onto her knees.

            The kidnapper walked over to her and gripped her bound hands, pulling her arms over her head roughly. Ari heard her own shoulders pop at the abuse.

            "Now, how'd you do that?" he asked, meaning her hands. 

            The figure was still thrown into silhouette, but Ari guessed it to be about six feet tall, and definitely male. And that _voice_; deep and husky, every breath like a melody. If Ari weren't hanging from her armpits, she would have sighed in appreciation.   

             Instead, she tried to kick out at him again. 

            "Let me go, you son-of-a-bitch!"

            He moved a step away from the kicking limbs and cocked his head to the side. "Now, that's not very nice. You don't even know me, yet there you go and insult my mother." He sniffed with mock indignation. "How rude."

            She swung around on her suspended wrists. "You think that's bad? I'm just getting warmed up, you-"

            Without waiting to hear the end of that sentence, the shadow interrupted. "Enough of that. If I were you, I'd keep quiet." He dropped her back into the straw. "Now, be a good little hostage and…" He held his hands before him, palms down. "Just _sit_ there."

            Ari looked up at him quizzically. "Why the _hell_ would I do that?"

            He pulled something out from under his shirt collar and dangled it before her so that it caught the limited light. 

            "Because if you ever want this back…you'll do as I tell you." The smirk was evident in his voice.

            Ari watched in surprise as the Suzaku no Hikari swung clearly just outside her reach. She touched her own collar, feeling cool skin where the charm should have rested.

 _…That can't be good…_

Her captor must have seen her thoughts in her eyes because, before putting the chain back around his neck, he said, "That's what I thought. With the proper incentive, I'm sure you will listen to reason." He sat down cross-legged before her, smiling. "Now, who are you traveling with, how can I reach them, and most importantly, how much money are they carrying?" 

              *********************

(Back at the Inn)

            Rui burst into Taiyo's room, slamming the screen aside with enough force to make the walls shudder.

            "ARI"S BEEN KIDNAPPED!!"

            Taiyo rose quickly from the floor, startled. "What?"

            "Ari's been kidnapped?!?" That was from Kura, standing in the hall, Kei close behind her. 

            Rui spun around impatiently and tried to explain. "It's not my fault! I was standing outside her room and I heard some noises but I thought she was crying or some stupid girly thing but then everything went quiet so I opened the door and she was gone. The window was broken and the room was trashed! Do you understand what I'm saying? ARI"S BEEN KIDNAPPED!!!"

            Kura looked at Taiyo in horror. "What do we do?"

            The tall man picked his sword up from the low table crouching at his feet. "We go after her, of course."

             ***************************

(Back to Ari)

Kashi. That was his name. He'd come right out and introduced himself. After grilling Ari for information and finding that she knew next to nothing about her own traveling situations, he'd given up in frustration. At the moment he was leaning against the wall, arms crossed behind his head, thinking aloud.

"I realize that ignorance is bliss, but this is a little ridiculous. How can you not know anything more than the names of your companions? You're traveling around with strangers? And you came to the city because that's where they said to go?"

Ari was sitting opposite him with her arms wrapped around her knees and her mind racing. "Well it sounds stupid when you put it that way…but that's really about it."

"And you have no money, nor do your companions."

She stole a look at him from under her lashes when she shook her head in agreement. Kashi was only a few inches taller than she was, but he had an aura about him that made it seem like he towered over anyone next to him. He had short, dark hair, kept out of his eyes with a deep-red headband, concealing the better part of his forehead and contrasting sharply with the inky darkness of his eyes. All his clothes were black, him being a kidnapper and all. 

But despite all this, he seemed young, younger than her warriors definitely...Ari guessed sixteen at most.  

He rubbed the heel of his hands into his eyes as he sighed gustily. "So you mean to tell me that I abducted a worthless-"

"Hey!" Ari glared at him, losing the little reserve she had kept. "It's your own fault, so don't go taking out your stupidity on me!"

Kashi took out the Suzaku no Hikari and spun it absentmindedly. "I guess I could always sell you into slavery…but that's not nearly as rewarding as what I'd thought the ransom would be…Don't you have any family…no, I suppose not. You wouldn't be traveling if you did."

"Look, can I just have my necklace back? It's really important to me…you see," _Think Ari, think. _"It was a…gift…from—from my husband…" The image of Tai Itsukun flew through her mind and Ari grimaced. But she'd caught his attention.

"Husband? You said you had no family." 

"I—he's dead. He died a year ago." _This way he'll think I'm damaged goods, or some other medieval stereotype like that. Probably have trouble selling me into slavery now._

Sure enough a crest-fallen look crossed his face. 

Ari turned her puppy dog eyes on Kashi. "So could I please have my necklace back?" 

He considered it. "Hmmmm…no."

The puppy turned tail and ran. Leaving an extremely angry Priestess of Suzaku. 

"Why the hell not?!?"

"Because it looks like it's the only part of you that's worth anything."

"Why you…! You don't even know who I _am_!"

He looked her over. "I can guess well enough though. After your husband died, an arranged marriage I assume, you were left in your husband's family's home. Either your mother-in-law kicked you out after the year ended, or you ran away. To put it short, you have nowhere else to run, so you travel with a group of acrobats or circus freaks who, in turn for your cooking and cleaning, let you tag along."

"This isn't Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, you fool. I'll have you know that I'm the official Suzaku no Miko. And that when my Celestial Warriors find me, you are sooooooo dead." Ari crossed her arms over her chest and scowled mightily. 

Kashi looked shocked at her for the space of a heartbeat, and then started laughing. 

"You presume me to be a fool, obviously. If you were the present Suzaku no Miko, then that would make this," He held her necklace up. "That would make this the Suzaku no Hik—AHHHHH!"

Kashi dropped the chain to the dirt pack as it started to flash white-hot. Ari leaned over her drawn up knees and picked it gingerly from the dirt and straw littering the ground. At the touch of her hands the light faded, and Ari slipped it back around her neck, unbelievably relieved that it was back where it belonged. She smiled softly to herself.

Kashi sat a few feet away from her, wide eyed and stuttering. "You…You…You can't be!"

"Why not?"

"Because I would have known…" His voice bordered on panic stricken. It was obvious that he was deeply shocked.

"How could you have known?"

His fingers flew to his forehead, feeling the fabric tied around his skull. Peeling away the headband, a burning symbol was exposed. 

"I'm a celestial warrior."

Ari's heart stopped. 

"You're a what?" Her voice was flat with disbelief. But the symbol for demon blazed brightly against the shadow of his black hair, mocking her skepticism. 

"I'm the current Tamahome…I'm supposed to protect you!" 

Ari's jaw dropped. But he continued.

"And what about your warriors? Fine job they did of keeping you safe!" Kashi raged on.

"Eh-hem! Excuse me? Who's the one that kidnapped me here? Don't bash my warriors for something that's your fault!"

He was mumbling under his breath. "…Entirely too easy…need to talk to them about security measures…"

"So I take it we'll be heading back to Ojisan's now? Right?" 

Something flashed in Kashi's dark eyes. But he nodded.

"Great, let's go!" Ari stood up and stretched her stiff, recently untied arms over her head. 

Kashi remained in the pile of straw. "Sorry about the whole kidnapping, and selling you into slavery thing…" He looked self-effaced and rightly ashamed. 

"No worries! Sorry about calling you names and trying to kick you and stuff…friends?" She held her hand out to him, forgetting, once again, the lack of handshaking in ancient China. 

Kashi stood up slowly and looked at the extended gesture of friendship. Misunderstanding, he took her hand in his and started walking out of the room, pulling her along behind him. "Let's go."

***************************

(Ojisan's courtyard)

The warriors were gathered outside the stables, arguing about where they should start looking.

"Arguing is getting us nowhere…"

"Can we hurry up and leave already?!?"

"You moron, where are we leaving to?"

"I don't care! Anywhere is better than just standing here—"

"We need to make a logical decision here…"

"We don't have the time!"

"Where do you suggest we go then!?!"

"Kura, sweet, calm down…"

"Get your hands off me, Kei! I'm not in the mood for your crap!"

"Please…everyone…this isn't helping…"

"SHE"S PROBABLY DEAD BY NOW!!!"

"Rui! Shut UP!"

"Everyone, please…I can't hear myself think…"

"Well, you may not care what happens to her, but I do!!"

"Don't you even think that I don't care what happens to her! She's my priestess too! Kei! I thought I told you to get away from me!"

"I'm just trying to help…"

"EVERYONE!!! JUST SHUT UP!!!"

They all froze and looked over at the seething prince. No one had ever heard him raise his voice over the polite level of a courtly hum. Not even Kei, who grew up with him. Yet here he was, yelling at the top of his lungs.

"WE'RE GETTING NOWHERE LIKE THIS!! JUST STOP TALKING AND—"

"Well, I'm glad you guys were worried enough to actually go and look for me…but I see you didn't get much farther than the stables, now did you?"

They all turned to see Ari a few feet away, hands on her hips. She was trying to scowl but was failing miserably, the laughter glittering in her eyes. The young man behind her however, was scowling quiet successfully.

"Ari!" Rui spoke first, jolting everyone out of their respective trances. Kura ran over to her and hugged her mightily. 

"We were so worried!" Kura murmured into her shoulder, giving Ari an extra squeeze before letting her go. 

Kei rushed in, his arms open wide, ready to embrace Ari as well. Rui had the sense to put his foot out just in time, leaving Kei sputtering, face down in the dirt.   

"Don't think so, pal." Ari heard Rui murmur under his breath. She laughed.

            "Who's that guy?" Kura whispered into Ari's ear, looking pointedly at Kashi.

            "Oh! Everyone, this is Kashi! He's the guy that kidnapped me!" Ari smiled cheerfully.

            She stopped smiling when she saw the battle aura of her warriors grow. And she spoke up in a hurry when she saw Rui start to crack his knuckles. "He also happens to be the warrior we were looking for. This is the Suzaku Seishi Tamahome!" 

 _ *******************_

_(Authoress' note)_

OK. Now really. I know you're all probably really mad. OK, really, REALLY mad. And you have every right to be…So that's why I'm gonna say that it wasn't my fault that I got ran over by a **dump truck** and was stuck in the **hospital** for almost a month and thus **unable** to update…or **write at all** for that matter. By now I've probably ticked you readers off even more by lying like that…so I'll stop. (Although there was a rumor that one of my friends was killed by a dump truck at school, imagine how she felt that day when she heard the story of her own death…hahaha. That was kinda funny now that I remember it.) Back to the point. **I'm sorry** I didn't update. And I'd **completely understand** if all my formerly faithful reviewers decided to boycott my story to get back at me…I'd understand…I'd be in tears…but **I'd understand**. So read or don't. Review or don't. Just remember that **I write faster** when people give me ideas via the reviews… just keep that in mind.

                                    ***Wanderlily***

PS: everything written in **bold** is a **lie**. 


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